


Silent Death

by Xuania



Series: The Universe's Hope [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everything is Wrong, Apollo's BFF, Champion - Freeform, Evil Gaea, God OC - Freeform, God of Balence, God of Heroes, God of Time, Good Kronos, I make my own history, M/M, Multiple Enemies, Multiple Planets, Mysterious Past, Post-The Heroes of Olympus, Pre-The Trials of Apollo, Prophecy, Screw Greek Myths, Slightly OP OC, Zeus is an idiot, god of hope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 42,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26501668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xuania/pseuds/Xuania
Summary: Long ago a powerful god was exiled by the King of Gods. Vowing to return the god flees to seek protection from his grandfather. For years, he spends his time training with ancient friends and altering human history from the shadows. He remains missing to the surface world for three thousand years before a new prophecy is given, allowing him to finally return home. The prophecy requires a hero, but will he save the one who had him banished long ago? Or will he let him dissolve from history? God!OCCurrently being cross-posted here. All chapters can be found on FF.net or Wattpad.Last Update: August 18, 2020
Relationships: Apollo (Percy Jackson) & Original Male Character, Apollo (Percy Jackson)/Original Male Character, Hades (Percy Jackson) & Original Male Character, Hera (Percy Jackson) & Original Male Character, Hestia (Percy Jackson) & Original Male Character, Luke Castellan & Original Male Character, Poseidon (Percy Jackson) & Original Male Character
Series: The Universe's Hope [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926736
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians they belong to Rick Riordan
> 
> OC is 100% mine though
> 
> This is my first full-length story so please go easy on me.

** Prologue **

A man in a dark cloak was running through the night. He knew his time was running out and he needed to hurry before they caught him. He ran through the home of his uncle, the residents there not daring to question him. The man was well respected everywhere and was known throughout as his father, uncle and aunts favourite. 

The cloaked figure could see the entrance getting closer in front of him. 30 feet… 20 feet… 10 feet… The area around the entryway was dark as if the opening was sucking all the light out of the area. There was no one around it, not many daring to come so close and risk falling in. Not even his uncle comes here often, the only coming here when he must. Out of everyone, the cloaked figure came here the most, visiting old friends and distant family. He was careful not to be caught, knowing that if word got out to the king he would be banished and executed, for talking to who they assume as enemies. 

Stopping at the entrance the cloaked figure checked for his weapons, Shadow Strike and Hollow Silence. The black and silver sword hung from the right, crossing its counterpart, a white and gold sword hanging from the left. The two halves of his symbol of power hung on his back concealed by his cloak, only the handles protruding outwards. Readying himself for the long journey ahead he went over his plan in his head one last time. He was about to enter when he heard a familiar smooth, velvety voice behind him.

“Is really this the only way?” Turning around he came face to face with his family, those he truly would regret leaving behind.

“You know as well as I do that this is the best way. There is no one on earth that can hide me long enough.” The man’s voice was calming, much like a relaxing bath at the end of a long day. 

"But how do you know they would even help you?" His closest friend asked, wishing there was another way.

The cloaked figure sighed at that. "I don't. However, even if they won't help me I know that they won't kill me. Being down there will hide my presence for long enough. I won't be able to conceal my aura up here."

“How can you be sure that they won’t kill you? No one has talked to any of them in years.”

The man turned towards his best friend, who was close to tears. He knew that his friend was worried, but he needed to do this. “I have contacts and a few old friends who can help me. I have already spoken to the big boss, and he has agreed to leave me be.”

His family looked shocked at the fact that he had spoken to the boss, but they also knew that lots of people owed him favours. His oldest aunt knew better than the rest though. She knew that he kept in contact with their family way down below, having caught him talking to them once. From what she heard, she understood that he was on good terms with them. She knew that her father was there, and he would help his favourite grandson survive.

He looked each one of them in the eye. “Don’t see this as a goodbye. I will return. In the most desperate of times, I will come back and Zeus will rue the day he lost a powerful ally.”

"Will you be taking your revenge when you return?" His uncle inquired, curious.

The man grinned at him. "No, I won't have to. He will get what he deserves without my interference."

His family looked at him curiously but did not question it. They had learned long before that he had contacts everywhere and seemed to know things that would happen in the future.

The cloaked figure turned back around to look towards the passageway in front of him. “My time runs low, it's a matter of minutes before they find me here.”

“Wait!” Behind him, his father spoke. “Before you go take these.”

The cloaked figure turned towards his father and uncle, who each handed him a ring. The one his father handed to him mostly silver with dark blue gems, while the other was the complete opposite. His uncle had handed him a ring made of a black metal. The metal was shaped into two skulls with a red gemstone held in between.

“These rings turn into the swords _Lykófos_ and _Kókkino paratiritírio_. Think of this as a parting gift from us.” His father explained.

“Twilight and Red Obsidian. Fitting.” He admired the rings before slipping Twilight on his right pointer finger and Red Obsidian on his left middle finger. “Thank you.”

His family regarded him sadly knowing that he had to go. “Please be safe.”

He sensed their sadness, but he knew he couldn’t do anything to help. They knew that what he was about to do was dangerous, but it was the only way. He was confident that he could succeed, with his natural charm and help from old friends, he would survive. 

He had spoken to the fates and knew that it would be a long time before he could return home, but if it meant that his family was safe, it was worth it. His family was worth the world to him, and he would sacrifice anything for them; even his own life.

“I will survive and I will return to you. I promise.” He vowed before turning towards the pit and jumping in.

His family watched as he plummeted in, fading away into the darkness. For the first time in a long time, the family felt hopeless, like he took all the hope with him when he jumped. The five of them stood in silence, just staring into the abyss. The silence lasted for a full minute as everyone came to terms with what happened.

“He will be back. After all this time he has never broken a single promise. He will come back and we will be waiting when he does.” the youngest of them whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

That renewed their hope. He would come back and set this right. He would never hurt them on purpose. He will return, and he will be stronger than ever.

“We should leave before our ‘family’ finds us here.” The group sneered at the mention of their so-called family, but they knew he had a point. One by one they flashed away, leaving one remaining. He stared at the spot his closest friend had last been in silence. Eventually, he knew he had to leave. He left whispering into the darkness.

“You better come back. You better not break your promise. You have to come back, if not for them then for me. I need you. Don’t leave me forever… Aleixo Elpida.”


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's Chapter 1!

** Chapter 1 **

Apollo sat at another boring council meeting of the gods. The prophecy of the Seven had just finished three months prior and a new prophecy was spoken not even a week later. It was the reason they were having a council meeting right now actually. The prophecy was grim and seemed to all retain to one person, the one who was known as Silent Death. No one seemed to know who the prophecy was referencing. 

Right now Zeus was accusing random people and demanding they be brought here and questioned, while Athena seemed to be trying to talk some sense into him. Apollo really wished that his best friend was here right now to shut Zeus up.

He smiled slightly when he thought of his best friend. He was awesome and always made sure Zeus’ ego never got too big. An old memory that bubbled up to the surface when he thought of his oldest friend.

_It was another council meeting that seemed to be getting nowhere. Zeus was rambling about how great he was or something like that. He wasn’t really listening. Looking around the throne room he realized he wasn’t the only one. His Uncle Poseidon seemed to be watching something hiding in the shadows. Deciding to follow his line of sight, he saw something that caught his eye. A figure with golden-orange eyes. There was only one person he knew with eyes like that; it had to be his best friend. His friend hated the way Zeus ruled with a passion and loved to play pranks on Zeus to embarrass him. Apollo caught his friend's eye and gave him a smirk. In return, his friend gave him a wink and mischievous smile. The figure moved towards Zeus’ throne unnoticed by most of the gods. Eager to see Zeus humiliated, Apollo pretended not to see him. The man climbed up to the ceiling above Zeus, hiding above a support beam. Looking at Apollo, the figure started counting down on his fingers. 3… 2… 1…_

_“BOO!” The god yelled right in Zeus’ ear, before bursting out laughing. Zeus jumped up, squealing like a little girl, and causing the rest of the council to snicker, some even laugh. Zeus glared at the orange-eyed god in front of him, but before he could yell at him, the god got up and left, winking at Apollo on the way out_.

Nobody let Zeus live that day down for a decade. Every time Zeus’ ego got too big, the orange-eyed god would play a prank on him. Sometimes he would even get the entire council in on it. Apollo remembered the good old days when he would skip out on meetings to hang out with his best friend. He remembered how Zeus would get really mad every time he did it, but it was worth it to see his radiant smile and the way his beautiful golden orange eyes lit up. 

He really missed his best friend. Apollo lost his smile at that thought. His best friend hasn’t been seen for over 3000 years and most of the Olympians assumed that he had faded. Apollo refused to believe that though. He had promised that he would return and the Sun God was not going to lose hope. The orange-eyed god was strong and witty if anyone could survive it would be him. He was also the most stubborn person Apollo knew. He was sure he would come back and restore the balance in their world. He was broken out of his thoughts by an angry voice.

“Apollo! Are you even paying attention!” Apollo looked up to see the angry face of his father.

“No Father.” He said, lowering his gaze. He mentally prepared himself for the long lecture he was about to get.

Zeus scowled not liking the fact that Apollo wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying. “We were talking about your punishment.”

Apollo was afraid, not sure what he had done to deserve Zeus’ wrath. He hasn’t even pulled any pranks on him recently, not that any of his pranks were ever as good as his best friend’s. “What am I being punished for, Father?”

“Your legacy almost lost us the Giant war, causing a rift between the Romans and Greeks. This cannot go unpunished and I have decided that you will become mortal to serve your sentence.” Zeus thundered at him. 

Apollo cowered at Zeus’ punishment. He heard protests being voiced in the background, but he wasn’t paying attention to any of it. He watched in slow motion as the bolt left Zeus’ hand and headed directly towards him. In these last moments before the bolt hit him he prayed for someone, somewhere to save him.

Suddenly a bright flash appeared in front of Apollo, blinding everyone in the throne room. When the flash faded, it revealed a man holding Zeus’ bolt in his hand. The man had his back turned to Apollo so he couldn’t see his face. He was wearing a dark cloak with the hood down and looked to be in his mid 20’s. His hair was pitch black with silver ends, and his skin was lightly tanned. He had two swords crossing on his back that were covered by his cloak so you could only see the handles. On the hand holding the bolt lay a silver ring with blue gemstones.

The council was stunned silent, none more so than Poseidon, Hera, and Hestia. Using the shock to his advantage the cloaked figure turned around to face Apollo. Apollo looked up at his saviour to freeze in shock. The man’s eyes were golden orange, the exact same shade as his best friend’s. He locked eyes with the man in front of him, eyes asking the question everyone wanted to know. The man gave an almost unnoticeable nod. Apollo surged forward wrapping the man in a hug whispering one word that confirmed what everyone was thinking.

“Aleixo…” 

Aleixo hugged his oldest friend back, just as fiercely. He had truly missed him along with the rest of his family. “Hey my _liakáda_ , I told you I’ll come back.”

Apollo just hugged him tighter, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. After more than 3000 years of waiting, Aleixo has finally returned. Their reunion was cut short, however, by Zeus. “You dare show your face here!”

The orange-eyed god let go of Apollo to face the king of gods. He raised one eyebrow, unimpressed at Zeus’ attempt to look threatening. “Yes, I dare. You just tried to give my best friend here an unreasonable punishment, and you expect me not to interfere?” He scoffed, “It seems as if you have gotten stupider while I was gone.”

Zeus’ face turned red in rage. “Why you…”

“Why I what, Zeus? You know that Apollo is under my protection. Or can your tiny brain still not process that, even after 4000 years?” Aleixo said smirking at Zeus’ angry face.

Zeus stood up from his throne, ready to blast the god for embarrassing him. Before the Sky God could do anything though, he found a trident placed at his throat. Poseidon was standing in front of his brother, eyes swirling in anger. 

“You will not be doing anything to my son, Zeus or this time nothing will stop me from killing you.” The Sea God spoke in a deadly calm tone that sent shivers down the God King's spine. Zeus opened his mouth to retort, but before he could he was interrupted again, this time by a female voice.

“You will not hurt a hair on his head, brother. As I will not hold back either.” Zeus turned his head to see Hestia rising up from the hearth, eyes literally on fire.

“And neither will I.” The god whipped his head around to see his own wife with an angry expression. Zeus was fuming but relented knowing this was a fight that he could not win.

“We will continue this discussion another time. Council dismissed!” Zeus bellowed angrily before flashing away.

The assembled gods sighed, but one by one they left, leaving Apollo, Poseidon, Hestia, and Hera with Aleixo.

Poseidon was the first to walk up to Aleixo wrapping him in a hug. When he pulled back he took the time to study him. His appearance hasn’t changed much since the last time he saw him. His hair was longer and he was paler but other than that he looked almost identical. 

“I missed you, my son,” Poseidon said smiling at the orange-eyed god.

Aleixo smiled back genuinely happy to see his father again after so many years. “I missed you too, dad.”

The Sea God opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and frowned. “It seems that I am needed in Atlantis.” He looked at his son sadly wanting to speak to him for longer.

“Go,” Aleixo told him, “Your duty as a king is more important.” 

The Sea God looked at his son sadly. “Come and visit me in Atlantis soon. We will continue catching up then.” Poseidon said before disappearing into a sea mist.

Aleixo turned to be crushed in a hug by Hera. He hugged her back feeling happy to see his aunt again. “Hey, Aunt Hera. It's really good to see you again.”

Hera pulled back from the hug, looking at her favourite nephew. “You better come visit me when you have the time.” She threatened looking at Aleixo seriously.

The god chuckled, “Of course.”

Hera smiled at that, “I hold you to that.” She told him before flashing away.

Aleixo then turned to Hestia, who was watching them with a large smile. She loved it when her family was getting along. Hestia opened her arms for a hug from the nephew.

“Auntie Hestia, how's the hearth?” He asked as a greeting.

The goddess smiled at him, “Burning brighter than ever now that the God of Hope is back.”

“Good, good. The hearth is the most important domain of them all. Everyone needs a hearth in their life.” Aleixo said, smiling fondly at his aunt.

Hestia looked at his nephew, remembering the fond memories of their past. “We need to catch up, but there is someone else you need to talk to first.” She walked back towards the hearth. “I’ll leave the two of you alone for now.”

Aleixo took a deep breath and turned to face his best friend. Instantly he was crushed into a bone-breaking hug. Apollo held on to the god, afraid that if he let go he would disappear again.

Apollo finally let his tears flow out, all the emotions from the past 3 millennia breaking out to the surface. The God of Hope held his best friend as his tears flowed out, hugging him close. “Shhh… don’t cry. I’m here now. I won’t leave you again.”

The Sun God looked up at his best friend. “Do you really mean that? You won’t ever leave me again?”

“I will never leave you again. I will always come back to you, my _liakáda_ , no matter what it takes. I promise.” Aleixo vowed, never wanting to see his best friend so sad ever again.

Apollo hugged him again, whispering “I believe you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Here's Chapter 1!
> 
> The chapters should get longer as the plot starts to develop. The next chapter should give you all the basic information on Aleixo, as well as develop his character more.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2! Sorry for the longer wait, but I was working on the cover. So those who want to know what Aleixo looks like, take a look at the new cover.

** Chapter 2 **

Apollo decided that he was going to stay with Aleixo for the rest of the day. The God of Hope immediately agreed, wanting to catch up with his best friend after so many years. He missed hanging out with Apollo very much, from playing pranks around Olympus to just enjoying each other's presence, Aleixo always felt at home when he was with Apollo.

"What are we going to do today, Ali?" Apollo asked, eager to have his best friend back.

Aleixo thought for a second. "Well first we need to go visit Uncle Hades, I'm sure he would want to know that I'm back. Then we should go visit Chiron. I need to let him know that I am able to help heroes again."

Aleixo's eyes got a mischievous glint, one that Apollo knew very well. It was a look that Apollo found he really missed, as the god's eyes seemed to get more vibrant, making them look more mesmerizing than they already were. "After that, I was thinking that we should play some pranks. After all, I have an image to uphold."

Apollo smiled widely and nodded, ready for the tremendous amount of pranks that were coming for the residents of Olympus.

~~~

The two gods slowly made their way towards the underworld planning pranks the whole way across. Reaching DOA Recording Studios, Aleixo saw Charon and decided to give him a little scare.

Gesturing for Apollo to distract the ferryman, The God of Hope silently snuck up behind him. When he was right behind him, he leaned down right next to his ear, yelling 'TRICK OR TREAT' as loud as he could.

Charon jumped a foot into the air, and when he turned back around he found two gods on the floor laughing. Charon scowled at the two of them demanding to know what they wanted.

Aleixo feigned a hurt expression, mockingly placing a hand to his heart. "You don't recognize me? I'm hurt Charon, I can't believe you don't recognize your old friend."

Charon froze at that voice. He didn't want to believe it was actually him though. He hasn't been seen for over 3000 years, so what are the chances he's back now? Charon slowly turned to look at the god, studying him. The orange eyes and frosted tips could only be one god. Hesitantly he asked, "Lord Aleixo?"

Aleixo got up from his spot on the ground, smiling at Charon, "The one and only."

"How have you been for the last 3 thousand years? You have been dearly missed."

Aleixo grinned at him, "I have been well, my old friend. I've missed everyone up here, but was well nonetheless."

Charon smiled at that, "What brings you to the underworld, Lord Aleixo?"

"We," The god replied, gesturing to himself and Apollo, "Need to see Uncle Hades."

"Of course, my Lord," Charon said, bowing at them.

Aleixo waved off the bow. "Now, now, we're all friends here, there is no need for formalities."

Charon nodded, mentioning for them to follow him. The two gods boarded Charon ferry, travelling across the underworld towards Hades palace. Eventually, the ferry stopped and the two gods got off. "Thank you, my friend, I assume Hades' palace hasn't moved?"

Charon nodded, "The palace is still in the same place as the last time you were here."

The orange-eyed god nodded, handing Charon 10 golden drachmas. Charon's eyes bugged out at that, taking the money. "Thank you, Lord Aleixo."

"No problem."

The two gods walked towards the palace. Aleixo decided to put up his hood, to surprise Hades. When they arrived Apollo knocked on the door.

"Come in." A smooth, deep voice ran out from inside.

The pair walked into the palace, stopping in front of Hades who was sitting on his throne. Hades studied the two gods in front of him, wondering why Apollo was here. Looking next to him he found an unfamiliar god. The god was wearing a cloak that covered his face, but you could still tell that the god was a male. Looking back towards Apollo, the God of the Underworld asked, "What are you doing here Apollo and who is your companion?"

Apollo just smirked, but before Hades could question why, the hooded figure spoke. "Can't a nephew visit his favourite Uncle? And don't tell me you don't remember me, now. I haven't been gone for that long have I?"

Hades stiffened when he heard that voice. Slowly turning his head towards the hooded god he whispered, disbelief clear in his voice. "Aleixo?"

The god threw back his hood, smiling cheekily at the God of the Underworld. "Hey Uncle Hades, long time no see!"

Hades got up from his throne and walked up to Aleixo stopping a few feet in front of him as if he was deciding whether he was dreaming or not. After a brief pause, he wrapped the orange-eyed god in a tight hug. "Aleixo... Your back..."

The God of Hope returned his uncle's hug just as fiercely. "I missed you, Uncle H, but now I'm back, for good this time."

Pulling back from the hug Hades took a good look at his nephew. He looked mostly the same, but his aura seemed slightly different. It was similar to when a demigod receives a god's blessing. Addressing his observations he asks his nephew about it. "Your aura seems different from the last time I saw you. What changed?"

Aleixo was startled by the question but quickly recovered. "I made a... business deal of sorts with the fates."

"A business deal?" Hades questioned, intrigued. The fates rarely talk to anyone, and for them to make a deal with a god was unheard of.

Apollo, on the other hand, was only slightly shocked. He knew that Aleixo was on good terms with the fates so it isn't much of a surprise that he would have done business with them. If the orange-eyed god knew something, it was business.

Aleixo nodded, "Yeah, I took care of some problems on the surface world for them and they gave me useful information."

Now both gods were paying full attention to what the God of Hope was saying. Information given by the fates shouldn't be taken lightly.

"What kind of information?" Hades asked curiously as to what information his nephew found valuable enough to be the fates lap-dog.

Aleixo only shook his head apologetically. "I am not allowed to say, sorry."

The God of the underworld nodded, understanding that whatever information the fates gave, were not to be known by outside ears.

Apollo suddenly thought of something though. "You were on the surface and didn't come and see us?"

The God of the Sun sounded a bit hurt at that. His best friend has been on earth and hasn't even said anything to him.

Aleixo looked at his friend apologetically, "I'm sorry, I couldn't reveal myself. It would have messed up the fates' plan. I did see and talk to you though, in a disguise. I doubt you would remember, but I went by Alexander and always wore something to cover the top half of my face."

The Sun God thought back to all the points in history where he met a man with a mask and helmet, who seemed to appear and disappear randomly. "That was you?"

Aleixo nodded, "Yeah most of the things I did for the fates were to make sure everything went to plan. If anything was going off course, I was supposed to set it back on the correct path."

Turning back to Hades the orange-eyed son of Poseidon gave him one last hug. "We need to go see Chiron now, but I promise I will visit you soon,"

"I'll see you soon then. Remember that the underworld is always open to you."

Waving the two gods walked out of the palace and toward Camp Half-blood.

When the gods left Hades smiled to himself, feeling content for the first time in a while. "Now that the God of Balance is back, the world of myths can go back to its original state; perfection."

~~~

The two gods headed to Camp Half-blood, where Apollo knew Chiron would be.

"You know, you could spend the time I'm catching up with Chiron hanging out with your children," Aleixo said looking towards his best friend.

"Wouldn't that be a violation of the Ancient Laws though?" As much as Apollo wanted to talk to his kids, he didn't want to anger the fates by breaking an Ancient Law.

The orange-eyed god smiled mischievously, winking at the Sun God. "Nah, you are just accompanying me to visit the heroes, and I have to do my job as the God of Heroes. You can't help if you happen to accidentally talk to your children, right?"

Apollo smiled at that. His best friend was definitely a genius.

Arriving at camp, the two gods walked towards the big house, campers wondering who the man walking with Apollo was. Before they entered the God of Hope whispered something into his friend's ear. "Go hang out with your children, my _liakáda_ , I'll be able to handle this. Also, don't tell the campers who I am, I want it to be a surprise."

Apollo grinned at his best friend and walked towards the archery range, where his children were having a practice.

Aleixo opened the door to the Big House, walking in. Inside he found Chiron, Dionysus, and a girl with curly blond hair. She looked about 17 and when she turned to him, he saw that she had stunning grey eyes.

' _A daughter of Athena then_.' He mused to himself before turning to look at Chiron. He hasn't changed much in the last 3000 years, although he looked a bit sadder than he did before.

"Aleixo? Is it really you, my boy?" Chiron said getting up to hug his oldest student.

Hugging his old mentor, Aleixo whispered, "Yeah is really me. Try to keep everything a secret though, Apollo and I have a dramatic entrance planned."

Chiron smiled, missing the antics of the God of Hope very much. "It's really good to see you again."

"Same, my friend. I must ask though, how did Dio get the job of watching over my domain while I was gone?" Aleixo asked, obviously amused.

Before Chiron could answer though, Dionysus responded. "I took fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits a while back. Zeus decided to punish me by making me watch over these brats here and refused to let me have wine."

The orange-eyed god raised an eyebrow at this. "He refuses to let you have wine? Doesn't he know that wine is a part of your domain? Seriously, I leave for 3 millennia and he is still just as bad as before I left. Looks like I have to smack some sense into him again."

Aleixo rolled his eyes, "Anyway now that I'm back, you no longer have to stay at camp. After all, this is a part of my domain and it is my duty to help heroes."

Dionysus perked up at that. "Really?"

Aleixo nodded his affirmation. "Yeah and if Zeus tells you otherwise tell him that I told you that I'm taking my job back."

Dionysus looked at him gratefully. "Thank you."

Aleixo just smiled at him. "No problem, Dio. After all, what are friends for?"

Annabeth watched this whole exchange, the question running through her head at a hundred miles a minute. Who was this man? Well, he was obviously a god, as he said something about this being part of his domain, but she didn't recognize him. Annabeth had read through many, many myths, but not once was a god mentioned in having orange eyes.

Luckily for her, Chiron noticed that she was still in the room and about to burst with questions. "Ah, Annabeth, this is Lord Aleixo."

She bowed to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Aleixo."

"Hello, Annabeth. I assume you have questions for me." He said smiling at her.

Annabeth couldn't hold in her questions any longer and burst out with a cathedral of them. "What are you the god of? Who are your parents? Why do you not appear in history? What did you mean that this is a part of your domain? Why-"

Aleixo put his hands up amused. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, I see that you are as curious as your mother. While I'm not going to answer most of those questions, I will say this; I have not been alive to the godly world for over 3000 years. Everything about me in history has been erased so don't bother looking."

"Why won't you answer the rest of the questions?" Annabeth inquired, her curiosity getting the better of her.

The orange-eyed god smirked. "Well I've got to make a dramatic entrance, don't I? After all, I still have a reputation to uphold."

With that, he walked out telling Chiron and Dionysus that he needed to start setting up.

~~~

The day went by and nothing interesting happened. By dinner, Chiron was getting wary. Aleixo was known for his extreme pranks as well as his entrances and exits, and for nothing to have happened yet, was a huge red flag. During dinner, Apollo sat at his table with his children, but Aleixo was nowhere to be seen. It was suspicious, considering Aleixo hadn't made his entrance yet. If Apollo wasn't still here, Chiron would have thought that the God of Heroes had left. For the entire diner period, Chiron kept looking around, expecting something to happen, but nothing did.

Walking towards the campfire, Chiron wondered what the two gods were planning. He knew that it must be huge, as Aleixo never did things in half measures, but he had no idea what. Arriving at the campfire, he heard Apollo tell everyone to meet up at the amphitheatre, as they had a special guest.

' _Ah, I'm guessing that this special guest is Aleixo_.' Chiron thought, mentally chuckling.

When everyone was gathered up at the amphitheatre, Apollo walked up to the stage holding a microphone. Clearing his throat to gather everyone's attention, he started the show. "Welcome demigods to the best introductory entrance you will ever see in your lives. Today we have a very special guest. One who hasn't been seen for over 3000 years. Why is he so important, you may ask.

"Well! He is the embodiment of Hope." A light lit up to the far left of the stage revealing a floating symbol of an anchor.

"He is the one who keeps the Balance." This time a light lit up on the far right, showing a perfect Yin and Yang.

"He is the commander of all Liquids." The next light lit up next to the first one, showing off a huge water droplet that seemed to be made of thousands of different liquids.

"He is the youngest Lord of Time." A beam of light revealed a large golden pocket watch on the right, next to the Yin and Yang.

"And, he is the guardian of all Heroes!" In the middle Aleixo's symbol shined bright. The symbol had a Phoenix in the center, within wings spread. The phoenix was orange, the same shade as the god's eyes. The phoenix was wearing a cape that seemed to be blowing back with the wind.

By now every eye was on the stage in front of them, curious to who the special guest was. "Now, you're probably wondering, who is this man? Well, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, may I present to you the son of Poseidon and Eos... LORD ALEIXO!!!"

Aleixo dropped down from the top of the amphitheatre, holding his symbols of power in his hand showing them off. Landing on the floor, he kept his head down, not showing his face just yet. Creating a thick mist in front of him, he raised his head and stood up straight. Slowly allowing the mist to dissipate, Aleixo shot a charming smile at the crowd.

"Hello everyone! My name is Aleixo and I will be your camp director from now on. I won't be here all the time, because I need to tend to my other domains, but if you ever need any help, feel free to ask. After all, it's my job to help heroes everywhere."

The demigods were shocked at what he had just said. Questions racing through their heads. They were getting a new camp director, one by the introduction he gave, that actually cared. Another thought that was passing through many people's heads was the fact that he was a god that none of them had heard of. Sure Apollo had said that he was gone for 3000 years, but they haven't even seen him in the history books.

The orange-eyed god smiled at their obvious curiosity. "Now I know you probably have quite a few questions, but those can wait for another time. Tonight, I will be getting to know all of you, after all, all of you fall under my responsibility." Aleixo announced.

For a few seconds, none of them moved. Suddenly Annabeth walked over to him, still curious from before. That seemed to break the ice as the rest of the demigods walked up to the god asking questions and listening to the stories the god told. Apollo was right next to him helping him keep the flow of questions under control.

Aleixo and Apollo stayed until curfew, before flashing back to Olympus. Now that all the important things were done, it was time to prank. Turning to Apollo, the God of Hope smirked. "Ready to have some fun, my _liakáda_?"

Rubbing his hands together, the Sun God smiled mischievously. "Absolutely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Here is the next chapter! Now that introductions are done, the next chapter should get more into the actual plot of the story. Also, this is a few months AFTER the Giant War, so Percy isn't at camp. Aleixo and Percy will be meeting in the future, but not yet. There is also a reason Aleixo has the domains that he does, but it probably won't come into play until much later.
> 
> Again, to those wondering what Aleixo would look like, take a look at the cover.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer wait, but online classes just started for me. Anyways here's Chapter 3!

** Chapter 3 **

The pair of gods spent the entire night setting up pranks in the throne room for the council meeting. Most of the pranks were aimed at Zeus, seeing that Aleixo thought he had to make up for all the pranks he missed for the time he was gone. Some were unique, while others were old classics that were done for nostalgia. Setting up a video camera in the corner, the two gods decided that they would both skip the next council meeting. Well, not that Zeus would want Aleixo in the throne room during the council meeting, but who cared what Zeus thought.

The two friends stood back and admired their handiwork. You couldn't actually see anything that was out of place, but it was still sure to cause chaos tomorrow.

"Well, I guess this is it for tonight. I'm assuming we will meet at the usual time tomorrow?"

Apollo nodded. "Yep. Goodnight Ali."

"Goodnight, my _liakáda_."

~~~

The next day, all the gods flashed into the throne room, ready for the next council meeting. Well, everyone except Apollo. Zeus was the last one to flash in, looking around the throne room he noticed that Apollo was missing.

"Where is Apollo?" He boomed.

The council rolled their eyes at Zeus' dramatics. Of course, Apollo was with Aleixo, even Ares knew that. If Zeus thought that Apollo would miss out on time to hang out with his best friend, he was sorely mistaken.

"He's probably with Aleixo, Father," Athena answered.

Zeus scowled, at the mention of the orange-eyed god, but didn't say anything, instead, he sat down on his throne.

As soon as he touched the seat of his throne a bucket of glue spilled on top of his head. Sputtering, he tried to get it off, but instead just spread the glue everywhere. Suddenly a bag of feathers fell onto his head, along with a burst of white powder right into his face. As soon as he thought it was over, he was covered in pink smoke. Up to this point, the rest of the gods were trying not to laugh, but when Zeus smoke faded, they couldn't hold back any longer. Zeus was no longer wearing his usual suit. No, the pink smoke had turned it into a tutu. And it wasn't just any tutu, it was a pink tutu.

The entire council was laughing, enjoying Zeus' embarrassment. Zeus was red in both embarrassment and anger. Looking around the throne room, he caught something out of the corner of his eye; an iris-message.

"ALEIXO!" Zeus thundered, glaring at the two laughing gods through the iris-message.

"Hey, Zeus," Aleixo said, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "I like your outfit, did you become a ballerina while I was gone?"

Behind him, Apollo, burst out laughing again, while Aleixo smirked at Zeus' face. Deciding to ignore Aleixo, the King of Gods, addressed Apollo instead.

"Apollo! You are needed at this council meeting!"

The Sun God snorted at that, "You call those council meetings? They're more like family reunions, gone wrong. The only thing that ever happens during council meetings is arguing."

Before Zeus could retort, Athena took control of the situation. "Apollo, you would be the most useful during this meeting. As the God of Prophecy, you would know more about it than anyone else."

Apollo thought about it, reluctantly agreeing. "Alright, but only if Ali comes with me. After all, he would be the most knowledgeable on the prophecy."

Athena narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean he's the most knowledgeable? He shouldn't even know of the prophecy, much less be able to correctly decipher it."

Aleixo scoffed at that, making everyone turn to him. "I was the second one to hear the prophecy, the first being the fates. It would do you well not to underestimate me."

The council looked shocked at that. Aleixo didn't allow them to respond, however. "Either way, I will be accompanying Apollo. We will talk when we arrive." He said before swiping his hand through the iris-message.

~~~

The two gods took their sweet time getting to the throne room, having no need to please Zeus. The Olympians thought that all their pranks were done but little did they know, they had just begun. After all, Aleixo wasn't hailed as the prank master for nothing.

Opening the doors to the throne room they found an angry looking King of Gods, who for some reason didn't change out of the tutu. Apollo walked over to sit on his throne, while Aleixo sat by the hearth, where Hestia was tending to the flames. Giving his aunt a smile, the God of Hope turned back to face the rest of the gods.

"Well? I thought this was supposed to be a council meeting, not an everyone-stare-at-Aleixo gathering."

Aleixo had one eyebrow raised, obviously annoyed at the fact that this meeting hasn't started yet. Athena was the first to snap out of it and started asking Aleixo questions.

"Aleixo, how did you find out about the prophecy?"

Aleixo just shrugged. "The fates told me."

The council's eyes widened. The fates didn't just give information out to everyone, so what made Aleixo so special?

"And when did this happen?" Athena pressed, wanting to know more.

The orange-eyed god paused, thinking. "Three-ish thousand years ago? It was just before I left."

Poseidon's eyes widened suddenly remembering something Aleixo said the day he left. _"Zeus will rue the day he lost a powerful ally... He will get what he deserves without my interference."_

He wondered if this is what he meant, that the prophecy had predicted Zeus' doom. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Athena speaking once more.

"What do you know about the prophecy then?"

Aleixo hummed. "What do I know? Everything. What can I tell you? Not much. You have to figure it out yourself."

The Goddess of Wisdom grimaced, suspecting as much. Knowing too much of your future was dangerous, and would cause an imbalance. "What can you tell us then?"

Aleixo thought about it. "How about this. You ask questions and I answer as long as I can. If I can't I'll say pass."

Athena considered this, before agreeing. "Who is Silent Death?"

Aleixo laughed at this, confusing most of the gods before they could ask why he was laughing though, he spoke. "I'm surprised you couldn't figure that out for yourselves. The answer is simple. I am Silent Death."

The council was stunned silent, processing what he had said. Suddenly, Zeus stood up master bolt in hand, ready to blast Aleixo to pieces. Before he could though, he found two swords at his neck. The first was a bright silver sword with a glowing dark blue piece across the guard and the fuller. The other was a black blade with a large red gemstone on the crossguard. The blade had dark red highlights along the edge and the fuller was empty. The two blades were beautiful and looked as if they were created to be exact opposites. Behind him was Aleixo with a terrifying calm expression on his face.

"If you dare throw that bolt, you will get to experience first hand how I received the title Silent Death." The threat was whispered, but everyone in the throne room still heard it.

Zeus swallowed, nodding, letting a breath of relief out when he two swords pulled away from his neck. Walking back to the hearth, Aleixo willed the swords to turn back into the rings that his father and uncle had gifted him so long ago.

Athena was a bit unsettled after the display the God of Hope had just given them but decided not to comment. Instead, she went back to asking questions, deciding that they needed every advantage they could get for the upcoming prophecy. "Aleixo, who are we fighting in the prophecy?"

Aleixo looked at her contemplating what he should say. "I cannot tell you that directly. BUT... I can say that your opponent is not someone you have a hope of fighting against."

Athena was going to ask more, but decided against it, having a feeling that Aleixo wouldn't be able to say anything else on the matter. Instead, she decided to ask something else. "When will the prophecy take place?"

The orange-eyed god laughed freely, the sound sounding melodic to Apollo's ears. "Oh, Athena. Don't you realize? The prophecy is taking place right now."

The council's eyes widened at that. The prophecy had already started and they didn't even know. That was a huge problem.

Seeing their faces Aleixo took pity on them and decided to explain. "Apollo, could you recite the prophecy, please?"

Apollo took a deep breath and started to recite the prophecy.

_"Silent Death reaps through the night,_

_Untold myths must come to light._

_Reunions to take place and an oath to be kept,_

_All caused by a threat intercept._

_One wrong move will cause Olympus to fall,_

_And those who can save it mustn't do anything at all."_

"The key to the start of this prophecy is the fourth line. And what threat has been recently intercepted?" Aleixo said looking around the throne room.

Realization suddenly dawned on Athena. "Zeus' threat to punish Apollo..." she whispered.

Aleixo nodded satisfied. "Yep. The first line has already come to pass too. It refers to what I have been doing in the time I was... away."

Before anyone could ask what he was doing, he got up saying, "My work here is done." Before leaving the throne room.

There was silence in the throne room for a few seconds before Hera broke it. "I'm glad to see he is just as dramatic as before."

Poseidon smiled fondly, "If he wasn't I would be very concerned. We all know how much, Aleixo enjoys his dramatic entrances and exits."

There was a note of agreement within the council as they all remembered Aleixo's love for dramatics.

~~~

Aleixo decided to head back to camp, deciding he needed to know what had happened while he was away. Flashing to the border, he walked towards the big house, smiling at campers who he came across.

He opened the door and saw Chiron. Smiling, he greeted his old mentor. "Hey, Chiron."

Chiron turned towards him, "Hello Aleixo. What brings you back so quickly?"

"Well... I was wondering what has been going on in the past 5 years." Aleixo paused for a second, before adding, "In the godly world that is."

Chiron looked at him slightly confused but explained the Titan and Giant war. By the end of it, Aleixo was staring at him wide-eyed.

"Wait... the second Titan War and the second Giant War happened within a year?"

Chiron nodded. "They did. It was unfortunate for the heroes of this age. But I must ask, why do you only need to know what happened in the past 5 years? As far as I'm aware, you were gone for 3000."

"Not exactly. I was... hiding, per se, for the last 3000 years, but I was well informed of what was going on. I have been busy for the last 5 years, tending to my domain outside the planet."

Chiron nodded in understanding. "But, why are you so shocked then? Were you not informed of the Great Prophecy?"

"That's the thing. I was informed. Something altered the prophecy."

Aleixo was deep in thought mumbling to himself. " _She_ was able to rise twice in a row. That's not good at all. That wasn't part of the plan."

Suddenly, Aleixo's head snapped up. "Chiron which god would be able to tell me, the most about both wars?"

Chiron thought about it for a second. "Artemis. She isn't as bound by Ancient Laws as the rest of them. Plus, the hunters might be able to tell you something."

Aleixo nodded. "Thanks, Chiron. I will be back soon, but I need to confirm something first." He said before flashing out.

~~~

Aleixo arrived outside the hunters camp. Walking in, he was stopped by a group of them, pointing their bows at him. "Who are you, _boy_ , are what are you doing in our camp."

Aleixo looked at them, unfazed. "I need to talk to Artemis."

The hunter in front of him sneered. " _Lady_ Artemis doesn't speak to _boys_. Now leave before we put an arrow through you."

The orange-eyed god rolled his eyes at them. _'Good to see the hunters haven't changed._ '

"Tell her that Aleixo needs to speak with her. I'm sure she'll understand."

The hunters looked at him suspiciously, before the one with the circlet on her head walked into a tent, to inform Artemis.

After a minute two figures walked out of the tent, and towards him. The girl with silver eyes turned to him. "Aleixo, what brings you to my hunters camp."

"I need some information. Chiron recommended that I talk to you."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be the all-knowing one?"

The orange-eyed god grimaced. "Well, yes, but there is a period of time where I need all the information possible. There is something wrong; a change in fate. I have a good guess as to what happened, but if I'm right, you guys are going to have a harder time than I thought."

Artemis' eyes widened at what he said. "Is this about the Prophecy?"

The God of Hope nodded grimly. Artemis looked at the hunters and back at Aleixo. "Come with me. We'll talk more in my tent."

"My Lady?" One of the huntresses asked.

"Go back to training." She ordered. "This is not a discussion for your ears."

The hunters nodded in assent, and Artemis and Alexio went into Artemis' tent to discuss.

~~~

"What is it that you need to know?" Artemis asked, curious.

"I need to know what Kronos' eyes looked like during the war, in as much detail as possible. I also need to know whether or not Gaea was completely awake when the Prophecy of the Seven took place." Aleixo said, his usual happy-go-lucky mood gone.

Artemis furrowed her brows, "I can't answer the first one, but Thalia probably knows that. We could ask her after. Gaea definitely was awake during the second war, she wasn't at her full power, but was still able to interfere and form a physical form."

Aleixo paled a little at that, knowing that he was almost certainly right. "Could you call Thalia now?"

Artemis nodded, mentally calling for her lieutenant. "I want to know why you need to know all this."

"I'll tell you after I'm sure whether I'm right or this is just a false alarm. I don't want to panic you for no reason whatsoever." Artemis nodded, accepting his reasoning.

A few moments later a girl walked in. She looked older than most of the hunters and was wherein a circlet, signalling that she was the lieutenant.

"Milady." She said bowing her head in respect. "You called for me?"

Artemis mentioned for Thalia to sit. "Yes, Thalia. This," she said gesturing to the god in front of her. "Is Aleixo. He is the God of Heroes, among other things. I need you to answer a few questions for him."

Thalia nodded, wondering why her mistress had such a good relationship with a male.

"Okay, Thalia. I need you to describe exactly what Kronos' eyes looked like." Aleixo said looking directly at her.

Thalia thought that the question was odd, but dismissed it. She thought back to the gold eyes on Luke's face, the eyes that signalled he was no longer the boy she ran away with. "His eyes were gold, but it wasn't Apollo gold. It was more like a cruel gold as if you had a cauldron of molten gold but accidentally spilled bronze in the hot liquid. His eyes were dull most of the time, but sometimes, they would change into a bright gold. One that seemed... full of life."

Aleixo furrowed his eyebrows. "When did his eyes change?"

Thalia thought back. "It was between the time where he had control and when his host had control. A split second, and then it was gone."

Aleixo started muttering to himself, "This is bad, I should have known something was wrong when a prophecy came to pass so quickly."

Artemis cut him off, looking at him in concern. "Aleixo, what's wrong?"

Aleixo looked at her, a gloomy expression on his face. "Remember when I said there had been a change in fate?"

Artemis nodded.

"Well you see about 4 years ago while I was tending to my domain on planet Veron, I felt a disrupture in balance. I was going to check it out, but was stopped by the fates, who told me the Prophecy of the Seven, and that I had nothing to worry about. The problem was that I felt the prophecy start immediately, which I didn't think too much of it at the time, but now know that I should have."

"I'm not sure what the big deal is," Artemis said slowly, not understanding.

Aleixo looked her in the eye. "Artemis, Prophecy's don't pass for centuries after they're given. The current prophecy didn't pass for over 3000 years. For a prophecy to pass immediately, is highly unusual."

Artemis' eyes widened. "Then why did it?"

"As I said before there was a change in fate. The Prophecy of the Seven was never supposed to exist. The second Titan War was never supposed to happen. The Great Prophecy was supposed to refer to Gaea attacking, but it seems that Gaea is stronger than both the fates and I anticipated. She has managed to attack and wake up within a year. It usually takes millennia for primordials to wake up from their spell."

Aleixo shook his head. "This prophecy might prove more detrimental than I anticipated. Especially with Gaea wanting revenge."

Getting up, he looked at Artemis, "I need you to call a war council in an hour. Make sure all the Olympians, as well as Hades and Hestia, are present. Tell them it is of utmost importance, and if you need help convincing Hades, tell him that I called it."

The Goddess of the Moon nodded, knowing how serious this was. "What will you be doing?"

"I need to inform one of my contacts of this new revelation, as well as have a quick chat with the fates." The god had determination in his eyes, ready for anything the world throws at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Here's the next chapter! Now you know what's happening, but that won't last for long ;P
> 
> The next chapter should be out in a week or so.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

** Chapter 4 **

After Aleixo flashed out Artemis walked out of her tent and was immediately faced with a bunch of curious hunters.

"Who was that Milady?" One of the hunters asked.

Artemis looked at them, sensing their curiosity. "That was Lord Aleixo, the God of Hope, Balance, Heroes, Time, and Liquids. He is also probably the most intelligent god by far."

"How can a _boy_ be smarter than Athena?" Another asked, spitting the word boy out like it was a curse.

Artemis looked at her sternly. "You should show him some respect. He is not to be underestimated and he would not take kindly to you ridiculing his knowledge. He is probably one of the only respectable male god ever."

The hunters looked shocked at their mistress' high praise for a male, but before any of them could protest, Artemis continued. "He was actually the one to give me the idea to create the hunt. As the god of heroes, all heroes fall under his responsibility, but he could not be everywhere at once. So he suggested that I create a group to help shelter heroines"

Artemis paused for a second before continuing. "You fall under my domain as Goddess of the Hunt, yes, but you also fall under his domain as God of Heroes. So if you are ever in need of support, you can pray to him, and he will come to your aid. After all, he is not bound by the Ancient Laws."

While the hunters were digesting that Artemis realized that she had things to do before the war council. "Now I need to go to Olympus. Set up camp here and wait until I return."

~~~

Aleixo flashed to Alaska, needing to talk to Tartarus and then the Fates. Starting a fire, the god took out a dagger strapped to his waist. The dagger was pure black and was curved like a claw. It was a gift from Tartarus that could hurt both mortals and immortals alike, similar to Kronos' scythe.

Using the dagger, Aleixo cut a small opening on his palm, just enough to bleed. The ichor flowed down from the wind and into the fire, where Aleixo muttered a prayer for the Lord of the Pit.

"To Lord Tartarus. I need to inform you about something urgent. Would you be so kind to talk to me about it?"

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, a heavy presence covered the area, alerting Aleixo that the primordial had arrived.

"Lord Tartarus." The god greeted.

_"Greetings, Aleixo. What did you need to inform me about? It must have been serious for you to summon me using a blood sacrifice."_

The voice was deep, but unlike Hades' it was not velvety. It held an unimaginable amount of power and weight, almost suffocating those who are near.

Aleixo thought about the best way to phrase this. "Tartarus... _She_ has managed to rise twice within a year. I'm afraid she is truly waking up."

_"Hm... that is a problem."_

Aleixo adopted a worried expression. "I'm not sure what to even do when she fully awakens. I can't rebind her, I'm not powerful enough to do so."

_"Have you asked the Fates yet?"_

Aleixo shook his head. "No, I will be doing that next. I feel as though informing you first was of utmost importance."

_"I assume you want my assistance?"_

"Yes. I may not like Zeus, but having him rule is better than having earth completely destroyed," the god admitted.

_"Alright. I will do what I can."_

"Thank you, Lord Tartarus."

As soon as those final words were uttered, the heavy presence lifted, signalling that Tartarus had left the area. The next step was to talk to the Fates, needing to see what was to happen next. Closing his eyes, Aleixo prayed silently to them.

_'Lady Fates, I need to have a private audience with you. I need to know how to keep the balance in this upcoming war.'_

Three flashes signified the arrival of the Fates. Aleixo opened his eyes greeting them whilst doing so. "Lady Fates."

The three Fates spoke in unison replying to the greeting. "Aleixo Elpida."

Clotho spoke first. "As you already know, Gaea interfered with the Great Prophecy, altering our planned fate."

"This has caused an imbalance in this current prophecy. Originally, you were not supposed to interfere, hence the last line." Lachesis continued.

Atropos finished with, "Because of this shift in balance, you must participate in this upcoming war."

Aleixo listened to what the Fates said nodding. "Alright, I need to fight to keep the balance, but that means the prophecy is incomplete. Does that mean the prophecy has changed from the original?"

Lachesis answered him. "Gaea has made it near impossible for the original prophecy to have the same meaning. The last line of the prophecy has been vetoed, and a new line has been issued."

"What's the new line?"

The three Fates shared a look. "We cannot tell you that directly, as the line is not one of our creation. Our mother has spoken... it is forbidden for us to tell you, but it should come to you when you need to know."

Aleixo looked thoughtful at that. "Lady Ananke has spoken? That is concerning. Thank you for the information, but I must get going now."

"Goodbye Aleixo, when the time is right, speak to us again," the Fates spoke in unison once more before disappearing.

Aleixo looked towards the sky. Just under an hour had passed, meaning he needed to go to Olympus. Sighing, he flashed out of Alaska and onto Olympus.

~~~

Aleixo entered the throne room to see everyone already gathered. Nodding in greeting, he assessed the members before clearing his throat to gain the attention of the council. "Ahem."

All eyes turned towards him, some questioning, others accusing.

Zeus glared at Aleixo, eyes burning with fury. "What are you doing here? This meeting does not concern you!"

Aleixo snorted, but before he could retort, Artemis spoke. "Actually Father, he was the one to call this meeting."

Aleixo nodded at her in appreciation, before beginning.

"The war council has been called today to discuss the newest prophecy."

Before he could continue, Athena interrupted him. "Didn't we have a meeting yesterday? I thought you gave us all you could tell us?"

The orange-eyed god glared at her, causing her to shrink back slightly. "I was getting to that before you interrupted me. Thanks to Gaea interfering in the Great Prophecy, there has been a change in fate."

Here many people gasped, but Aleixo ignored them all, in favour of continuing. "Gaea is waking up. For real. She has managed to break free from the spell that Chaos put on her to restrain her and is growing stronger as we speak. The prophecy of the Seven is proof of that. A prophecy that should have never existed to begin with. We must prepare to take her down, preferably before she reaches her full strength."

Athena caught on to something he said. "What do you mean the prophecy of the Seven wasn't supposed to exist?"

Aleixo looked at her. "Exactly what I said. The Great Prophecy was supposed to refer to a huge battle Gaea planned while she was _asleep_. Instead, she woke up and the prophecy of the Seven was born, and it was to take place immediately."

The council looked interested at the new information. "What was the Great Prophecy originally supposed to mean?"

Aleixo sighed realizing how off track they had gone but answered anyway. "The only line to have a drastic change was the third one. Originally the third line was supposed to refer to the fact that the child of the prophecy was to see the world, Gaea, forever sleeping, because of the spell Chaos cast on her. Everything else was self-explanatory, but we're getting off track. We must prepare for the prophecy."

"What must we do to prepare?"

"The prophecy has been altered, and the future is foggy to my eyes." Aleixo looked at Apollo. "Apollo what can you sense about our future?"

Apollo concentrated for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I cannot see anything. It has been shielded from me."

Aleixo grimaced, not liking the fact that they had nothing to go off of.

Athena remembered something the God of Hope said. "You said the prophecy has been altered. What has changed?"

The god looked at her. "I only know that the last line is no longer valid. I am not sure what the new line entails, only that it wasn't given by the Moirai."

Athena's eyes widened. "But if it wasn't given by them... has their mother spoken?"

Aleixo nodded. "After so many years Ananke has spoken once more. We need to prepare for this."

Poseidon looked at his son, catching a small detail in what he said. "Aleixo," said god looked towards him, "You said 'we'. Does this mean you will be assisting us?"

Aleixo nodded. "I will be. The Fates have deemed it necessary for me to interfere, as the prophecy no longer prevents me from doing so."

Hades looked towards his nephew, slightly confused. "How so?"

"The original last line meant that I could stop the threat, but wasn't allowed to interfere. Now that the last line has changed, I have no such qualms." Aleixo stated.

Looking around the room he said. "I will talk to my contacts to gather more information. In the meantime, I want you to come up with a plan. We will meet again in a week at the same time. _Kerberos_ Out."

He threw a smoke bomb down before leaving the throne room.

~~~

Apollo walked up to the cliffside where he knew Aleixo would be. The view there was absolutely breathtaking, with it giving a perfect view of the water and the clear sky. Aleixo would often come here to think when they were younger, and it soon became their place. Somewhere where they could be alone just enjoying each other's presence. It was sacred to them, being one of the only places where immortal power did not reach. The cliff seemed to be located on an island, but Apollo didn't think it was on earth. It was magical, like a figment of their imagination, brought into the real world by Aleixo.

The God of Hope told him that it could only be reached by those who hold a true connection to him, but what confused Apollo was that Poseidon could not reach here. When he asked about it, the god had laughed and changed the subject, saying it was a different type of bond, a bond that was connected to the soul.

As he expected the orange-eyed god was sitting on the edge of the cliff, looking down into the distance. Apollo walked over to him, not saying anything. Instead, he sat down next to him, joining his friend in looking out into the abyss. Aleixo didn't acknowledge his presence, but the Sun God knew that his friend was aware that he was there. They sat in silence, a comfortable one, not doing anything but enjoying each other's company.

Eventually, Aleixo broke the silence. "I'm worried, my _liakáda_. It has been many millennia since I have been completely blind about a prophecy."

Apollo said nothing waiting for the God of Hope to continue.

"I know it's stupid, especially so early on. But the fact that Ananke has spoken means that this war might not end in our favour."

"Everything will be okay, Aleixo," Apollo said softly.

Aleixo looked at his friend, tears in his eyes. "How can you be so sure? I don't know what's going to happen, no one does. What if someone dies? What if I lose you?"

Apollo looked at his best friend giving him a hug. Aleixo hugged him back, holding him close. "Everything will be okay because you're here. As long as you're by my side everything is okay. You will not die because you're the strongest person I know."

Apollo held his best friend, whispering comfortingly into his ear.

"You won't lose me, Ali. _I promise_."

~~~

_In a land out of reach, a discussion takes place..._

"Their strings have always been intertwined, why would that change now?"

"I don't know sister. Their strings seem to be clinging to each other like they don't want to be separated. Their connection is strong, but only a pure connection from deep within the soul and heart will be able to endure this forever."

"Could this be _his_ doing?"

"There's no way, he has been planning this since _Próta_ was born, why would he try to interfere now?"

"It could be _her_ doing."

"If that is true..."

" ... _She_ is stronger than should be possible..."

" ... Our chosen must endure this attack or..."

" ... This will end with the entire universe destroyed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! That's a wrap! Not sure when the next chapter will be out, but it might take a little longer.
> 
> Okay, I know that in the myths the Fates are children of Nyx (and sometimes Zeus) BUT for the purpose of this story, they are children of Ananke. Also, for future reference, the children of Chaos, who will be female, in this story are Gaea, Tartarus, Eros, Nyx, Erebus, and Ananke.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)
> 
> Aleixo Elpida (uh-lex-oi el-pee-da) - Defender of Hope
> 
> Próta (pro-da) - First
> 
> Kerberos (kay-bay-rose) - Demon of the pit


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's the next chapter!

** Chapter 5 **

Aleixo woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar setting. Bolting upright, he drew Twilight and Red Obsidian, scanning the area. Realizing that there was no threat he put away his weapons and studied his surroundings.

The room was familiar, with its silver and gold walls covered with pictures. In the front of the bed was a large black double door, a phoenix that shifted from gold to orange as a handle. It was his room in Apollo's temple. Apollo had given him this room in his temple for whenever Aleixo wanted to stay over, or for whenever they spent the night together. It was a room that hadn't been used in years ago, and the God of Hope didn't think it would still be there.

Walking out of the room, Aleixo headed towards the kitchen in the temple, noting that the layout hadn't changed. There he found Apollo making breakfast, setting up the plates. While the gods didn't need to eat mortal food, it didn't mean that they didn't enjoy the taste. The food of the gods was nice, but nothing beats a homemade meal.

"Hey Ali, did you sleep well?" Apollo smiled at him waving him over to sit at the table.

Aleixo came over, plopping down in the seat right next to his best friend. "Yeah, best sleep I've had in a while."

Apollo's smile widened. "So... what do you want to do today?"

The orange-eyed god paused for a second, enjoying the taste of the food before his eyes lit up. Turning towards Apollo, he asked, "Is the room still there?"

"Of course! Not much has changed here. I would never get rid of that room, it holds so many memories."

Smiling brightly, Aleixo grabbed the Sun God's hand, pulling him towards his room, where the entrance was located. "Come on let's go!"

Apollo chuckled slightly at his friend's childish behaviour. "I'm coming!"

The two gods arrived inside Aleixo's room. Walking to opposite sides of the bed, the gods put their palms on the two lone symbols; the Yin on the left and the Yang on the right. When both their palms touched the symbol, the symbol on the bed lit up and a passage opened between the two leading to the secret room hidden underneath the temple. The gods walked into the tunnel, the passage closing behind them.

~~~

_In the depths of the universe, a woman sat on a lone throne in a vast room, displeased._

Chaos was angry, to say the least. Her daughter had broken free from her bonds, her internal punishment for causing destruction on the first planet. Now, she wouldn't be angry if Gaea had learned her lesson, but no, she was trying to destroy the planet again. She was even using her own children to cause destruction wherever she went.

Some might wonder why the Creator didn't just seal her once more. Well, the truth was that she was weakening. For a being that has been alive for as long as she has, she wasn't strong enough anymore to seal Gaea effortlessly. If she were to try she would fade into the void, where those who were forgotten laid. Now usually that wouldn't be an issue, most beings as old as her would love to fade and finally rest, but Chaos was the Creator. She had many responsibilities that, if uncared for, would throw the entire universe off-balance. For her to fade, she would need an heir, but it couldn't be one of her children. No matter how much Chaos loved her children, she knew that they were unfit to rule the universe. Chaos was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of a door opening.

Ananke walked into the throne room, bowing before her mother. "Lady Chaos."

"Rise."

Rising from her bow, Ananke started to speak. "Mother... Gaea has been tampering with fate. The Prophecy of Change won't be able to follow through with its planned course. The prophecy has been altered to fit the original plan, but I do not believe that they can seal her even with his interference."

Chaos listened silently, an unreadable expression on her face. "You want me to seal her again."

Ananke nodded gravely. "It may be necessary, mother. If she is not sealed, she will take over the world, destroying all the mortals or otherwise on it."

Chaos looked at her. "You know that if I do, I will fade, and my domain will be unaccounted for."

Ananke thought for a second, grimacing before an idea came to mind. "What if you choose an heir to take over your domain once Gaea is sealed."

"I have considered that, but alas, there doesn't seem to be anyone fit to take over." Chaos shook her head.

"How about _Isorropiméno_?" Ananke asked. "They would take care of your domain very well, and aside from Gaea, there aren't many people who dislike them."

Chaos tilted her head to the side slightly, considering it. _Isorropiméno_ would make a good heir, being able to keep the balance, while being fair and just.

"That might just work..."

~~~

Aleixo and Apollo arrived in their secret room after a short walk. The room hadn't changed one bit since the last time the two gods were in there. At first glance, the room looked like a mess; gadgets everywhere, everything on the floor, seemingly random things on the walls. At a closer look, however, one would notice how organized everything was. The room was split into many areas, each area divided into more sections. The areas represented different topics, ranging from war plans to a garden. The sections were like subtopics, each relating to the larger whole.

Each section had either a whiteboard or a bulletin board, some even with both. The sections were divided with a footpath, while the different topics were divided with a digital wall. Each area had a teleport tube, that worked similarly to Zeta-tubes [from Young Justice], to teleport from one area to the next. The entire room was huge, the size of an average temple and completely underground. It was top secret, a place where few know of, and even fewer can access.

Aleixo and Apollo headed towards the prophecy section, needing to change the prophecy. The prophecy section was large but not as large as some of the other sections. It was the only section that Apollo had restricted access to, and needed permission to view some of the sections. The entire area was fenced off with a bubble that was similar to one-way glass. You couldn't see into it, but anyone inside could see out. The entire area could only be 100 percent seen by Aleixo, as some sections contained future prophecies. Past prophecies and those that have been given were open for Apollo to view, even though some of it was written in a language Apollo didn't recognize.

Aleixo opened the section for the current prophecy, mentioning for Apollo to follow. The two gods entered the place, where Apollo spotted the name of the prophecy.

"The Prophecy of Change..." Apollo said. "That means something important doesn't it?"

Aleixo nodded. "Yep. This prophecy was supposed to mark a huge change for Olympus, planned many years ago when the Fates, or more accurately Lady Chaos, became displeased with Zeus' rule"

The God of the Sun nodded, taking it all in.

"But because of Gaea's interference, the prophecy has experienced an unexpected change." Aleixo grabbed a marker and crossed out the last line of the prophecy.

"At this point, it is still unknown what that has done to fate. The only thing we do know is that the last line is now invalid." Aleixo drew an arrow with a question mark from the last line.

"It is possible that this prophecy will end with an unfavourable outcome, something that the Fates didn't want, but for now we can only speculate," Aleixo said, writing down theories.

"What do you think, Apollo?" Aleixo asked, looking at his friend.

Apollo paused to think about it. "The Fates told you they couldn't tell you the new line, right?" At Aleixo's nod, he continued. "Well, there must be a reason for that. Think about it, why would they refuse to tell you a line of a prophecy? It is obviously beneficial for you to know so you could make sure everything goes to plan, so why keep it from everyone?"

Apollo stopped to take a breath, "The only reason, I can see for them not to tell you something like this is that the last line directly refers to you. If it did, telling you would affect the future because knowing too much can affect your choices."

The orange-eyed god considered everything he said, nodding in agreement. "That would make sense. I know that I am allowed to interfere, so if the last line did refer to me, I might indirectly change fate just by knowing"

After jotting down some final notes, Aleixo looked at his friend walking towards the teleport tube. "But enough of this serious stuff, how about we do something fun?"

Apollo grinned following his friend to the teleport tube.

~~~

The two gods popped out in the building area. The space was filled with unfinished projects that Aleixo loved to work on. The God of Hope was not as skilled as Hephaestus at building or inventing, but he still made some of the most beautiful enchanted weapons. Most of the things Aleixo made were gifts, some for the heroes he helped, others for his friends or family. The orange-eyed god always believed that the most meaningful gifts were the ones you made yourself, so anything he gave away was always made by hand. In the past Apollo would often find him here working on the most random of things. Usually, Apollo would help him, giving ideas and assisting in any way possible.

If you couldn't tell, Aleixo was a genius. He had an above-average memory, even for a god, allowing him to remember things said all the way back to when he was raised by his mother and her siblings. While he loved to know things, he was nowhere like Athena. The Goddess of Wisdom loved to know things, just to know it. Aleixo, on the other hand, only liked to know things that would be useful. He was more of a hands-on kind of person, enjoying experiencing things, in contrast to reading. Some would say he was the Wisdom Goddess' biggest rival, knowing things that even some of the first generation gods don't know. With age comes wisdom, and that's true, even for gods, but Aleixo is an exception. He might be older than most of the gods, but he is wise beyond his years. He is a perfect example of the fact that with age comes experience, but it's with experience that brings wisdom.

The two gods walked around the area, with Aleixo in the lead. Eventually, they stopped at a place that Apollo didn't recognize. The space was small, and it was tidy, like the project was finished, which was odd for an area full of unfinished projects. Studying the space around him, he realized that it was finished. All the blueprints were gone, and the whiteboard was wiped clean. The only thing that was there was this small golden orange box.

"What was this area for, Ali? I don't remember it being here before." Apollo said looking at his friend.

The God of Hope smiled, walking over and picking up the box. "You wouldn't remember it because it was kept secret. This area was for a gift. A gift for _you_."

Apollo blinked at that. "A gift for me?" He wondered.

Aleixo smiled at the expression on his friend's face. Pressing the box into his hand he replied, "Yes. I was supposed to give it to you before I left, but I never got the chance to come back here. Now that I'm here, I thought it would be a good time."

Apollo looked at the box in his hand then back up at Aleixo, as if asking for permission.

"Go ahead, open it," Aleixo said, nodding at him.

The God of the Sun slowly opened the box, to reveal a beautiful necklace. The necklace had two charms on it, a phoenix on top of a Yin-Yang. The Ying-Yang was able to split into two pieces, one half being the Yin and the other ring the Yang.

"It's beautiful..." Apollo breathed, admiring the jewelry that Aleixo crafted.

"The charms are enhanced. If you pull on the phoenix it will tell me your location, where I will come as soon as possible. The Yin will transform into a black sword, and the Yang will give you a pure white bow, with a quiver of arrows. The necklace is also enchanted to be unbreakable and will burn anyone but the two of us who try to remove it" Aleixo explained, while attaching the necklace around Apollo's neck.

After his explanation was finished, Apollo surged forward to wrap this best friend in a hug, whispering, "Thank you, Ali. I love it."

Aleixo returned it, smiling softly at him. "Anything for you, my _liakáda_ "

~~~

_From a distance, three old women watched their interaction..._

"Do you think they will succeed?"

"Their bond is stronger than most. Unless something major damages it, they should be able to make it through."

"I don't believe anything will happen to their connection."

"We can't be sure of that. He has become out of our control."

"Yes, but he would not do anything to put them or the world at risk."

"What about _her_? What if _she_ separates them?"

"Let's hope that doesn't happen because if it does..."

" ... it is not _her_ the universe has to worry about..."

" ... it will be _him_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! That's a wrap! Hope you liked it!
> 
> Okay so the first generation gods are the children of Titans (AKA the 6 elder gods and Aphrodite), the second-generation gods are those who have at least one of the first-gen gods as a parent (AKA Zeus' godly children).
> 
> The next chapter will have Aleixo interacting with a camper. Also, I have changed mythology to better fit the story. You should get a sense of what changed in the next chapter.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)
> 
> Isorropiméno (e-sore-row-pee-men-no) - Balanced One


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here's chapter 6!

** Chapter 6 **

Throughout the week the Olympians had many meetings to discuss war preparations, as per Aleixo's request. That's what they were doing right now actually. The Olympians were supposed to be having a meeting, while Aleixo gathered allies. He had already spoken to most of his contacts that resided on Earth, but he still had no way of defeating Gaea.

Gaea, as much as Aleixo hated to admit it, was still one of the original primordials. The only primordial ever known to be defeated by lesser beings was Ouranos, who was drawn out of his domain and cut up using Kronos' scythe. But even then, Gaea had interfered, wanting to rule the cosmos herself. At that time she would have succeeded, if not for Chaos determining her unfit to rule, and cursing her to an eternal sleep.

For the gods to be able to kill Gaea, they would need to draw her into the sky, out of her domain. Without the help of the primordial of the sky, Zeus has no chance, in killing her. Not to mention the only reason Ouranos was unable to reform was because he was cut up using _Kronos'_ scythe. Kronos' scythe was a very special immortal weapon, as it is one of a kind. The weapon was infused with the five rivers of the underworld, which allows it to cause endless pain to those who get cut by it. However, the weapon was also a gift from Chaos, as a sign that he was approved to rule Earth. He ruled the earth well for many millennia, before his mother started to stir, controlling him from the shadows, causing the Golden Age's ultimate downfall.

The scythe was the only weapon able to keep an immortal from reforming, as it is assumed to be blessed by Chaos, although there is no proof of it. Without it, even if the gods managed to draw Gaea into the sky and kill her, she would reform stronger than ever.

Aleixo had already asked his grandfather to assist from the shadows, as he was sure that the Olympians would not agree to an alliance with the titans. The problem with this plan was that without his direct interference, they wouldn't be able to eliminate Gaea once and for all.

Well, there was one other way. If Lady Chaos sealed her daughter once more, Gaea shouldn't be a problem for a very long time. The seal would not last forever, but it should last long enough. The issue was that unlike other immortals, the God of Hope had no way of contacting her, nor did he have any right to ask for a favour. At least with the other immortals, he had a good relationship with them, but it didn't work like that with Chaos. Aleixo had only met with Chaos once, and it wasn't really a meeting. It was more like Chaos wanted to speak to Kronos and he just happened to be there.

Aleixo sighed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. That was enough thinking for one day, he'll come back to this problem at a later date. For now, Chiron needs to be informed of the changes to the prophecy.

~~~

Aleixo arrived at Camp Half-blood for the third time, heading straight towards the Big House. It was oddly quiet at camp, there were no sounds of loud chatter or pranks. Looking around, he realized there weren't many campers either. He stored this information in the back of his mind, temporarily dismissing it, in favour of heading towards Chiron.

As usual, Chiron was in the Big House, however there was no one else in there. Aleixo walked towards his old mentor and greeted him. "Hey, Chiron. Do you have a moment?"

Chiron looked up at the speaker, startled for a moment. "Hello Aleixo, what brings you to camp today?"

The orange-eyed god grimaced, making the old mentor worried. "You know the most recent prophecy, the one that was given after the Giant War?" At Chiron's nod, he continued. "Well... there's a bigger problem now."

Chiron looked at his oldest student concerned. Aleixo was known to be calm and collected, even during the most desperate of times. For him to be worried about a prophecy now, was frightening. "What's wrong?"

Aleixo went on to explain the situation with Gaea altering the prophecy. Chiron to his credit, just listened patiently, not interrupting, waiting for the God of Hope to finish his explanation.

"The gods are currently preparing for the first strike. I'm not sure when it will happen, but it will soon, the prophecy has already been set in motion." Aleixo said with a stony expression.

Chiron nodded, paling slightly, digesting everything he had just been told. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

The god paused to think about it before replying, "I want you to watch out for attacks, I'm sure this will be one of the targets when this war officially starts. If anything unusual happens, I want to be informed immediately."

The old mentor agreed, understanding that Aleixo wanted to be here to help. "And the campers?"

The orange-eyed god pursed his lips. "Don't tell all of them yet. They have just come out of a war, they don't need more stress. Tell the older ones, the ones who are most trusted."

"Alright. Is there anything else?"

Aleixo opened his mouth to say no but remembered the odd silence at camp. "Actually, I have a question." At Chiron's expectant look he continued. "Where are all the campers? It is oddly quiet today."

"Ah. Most of them went home to spend Christmas with their families, others are at Camp Jupiter with their friends."

"And the ones that are at camp?" Aleixo inquired.

"They are either training or decorating camp," Chiron answered.

Aleixo nodded. "Alright then, I'm going to stay at camp for a bit. See ya later, Chiron," he said waving at his mentor.

Chiron smiled at him, enjoying the uplifting mood, the god brought everywhere he went.

~~~

Aleixo walked around camp coming to stop near the beach. There was no one else there, but that didn't bother the god at all. Being a son of Poseidon, the water calmed him, clearing his head and allowing him to think. There was a reason the cliffside was his favourite place, both on and off Earth. Not only is the view beautiful, but it was near water, although that wasn't the true reason he liked it so much. The true reason the place was sacred to him was that it was somewhere that only he and Apollo could access. A place where it was just the two of them, where no one else could bother them. That is why he loved it so much because it was _theirs_. He was brought back into the real world by a curious voice behind him.

"I thought only children of Poseidon sat on the beach just staring out into the waves."

Aleixo turned around to look at the person who spoke. Behind him stood a boy no older than 15. He had pale skin and onyx eyes which told him that this was the son of Hades. He wore all black and a skull ring on his right middle finger, which Aleixo assumed was his weapon.

Giving him a friendly smile he responded, "Well you would be right, my dear cousin."

The boy's eyebrows raised, both shocked and confused. "You're a son of Poseidon? Does that mean he broke the oath again? How did you know I was your cousin?"

Aleixo chuckled, putting his hands up in a slow down motion. "Whoa, I can't answer questions as fast as you ask them. Yes, I am a son of Poseidon, and no he did not break the oath again. I was born many, many years before the Great Prophecy even existed. As for your last question... it's the same way Chiron does it. Every god or goddess has a physical trait that passes down to their mortal children. For most, it is their eye colour, as gods happen to have unnaturally bright eyes. The trait Hades passes down is eye colour, but you also happen to be very pale, signalling that you have spent lots of time out of the sun, or more likely in the underworld."

The boy nodded accepting his answer, wondering how he had never noticed it before. "If you were born so long ago, you must be a god." At Aleixo's confirmation, he continued. "I don't remember any myths that talk about a son of Poseidon with orange eyes, so who..."

The boy trailed off, not sure how to continue, but he didn't have to as Aleixo understood what he was getting at. "You would be right..." The god trailed off, reliving he didn't know the boy's name. "Actually I never got your name."

"Nico. Nico di Angelo"

"Nico huh... that's Italian isn't it?" Nico nodded in affirmation. "Well hello Nico, my name is Aleixo. And the reason that you can't find me in any myths is because I have been erased from history. I was invisible to the world of the gods for just about 3000 years." He paused for a second, deciding what to say next. "As for the reason I have orange eyes... It's similar to the reason Artemis has silver eyes. She didn't get her eyes from her parents, but her domain."

While that answered some questions, it had also brought up more. Seeing this the God of Hope said, "Why don't you take a seat beside me. It probably isn't the most comfortable standing."

When the son of Hades sat, he turned to the god next to him asking more questions. "Why were you missing for so long? And why were you erased from history?"

Aleixo's face darkened slightly at the first question, but it quickly cleared, making Nico wonder if it was just a trick of the light. "Zeus ordered for me to be captured, and then executed, placing a hefty bounty on my head. While most of the Olympians disagreed, there was nothing they could do about it. So I went to seek help from an old acquaintance, who would be able to hide my presence long enough until the Prophecy of Change took place and that just happened to be 3000 years from when I left."

Nico didn't know what the Prophecy of Change was, but he thought better of asking. _'If he wanted me to know he would specify.'_ He thought.

"As for your second question, _'History is written by the victors.'_ The gods won the battle against the titans. They were in charge of the world when you could actually write history. Everything you see in history books is Zeus approved, and most of them are lies."

Nico nodded at that quote, it made logical sense. "Do you know what actually happened, if it was all lies then?"

"I do. I was alive for most of it after all. And those that I wasn't alive for? I get my information from an unbiased source. All my information is accurate." He said with an unknown glint in his eye.

The young son of Hades parked up at that. "Could you tell me some stories then?"

The god looked at his young cousin with a soft gaze. "Maybe another time, lil' cuz. There is not enough time for that today. I still have one more thing to do before the day ends."

Nico deflated slightly at that but agreed.

Aleixo smiled ruffling his hair before getting up. "I must go, but I will be back soon. Next time I will tell you some of the stories of the past."

Nico glared at him, fixing his hair, but waved goodbye all the same

~~~

Aleixo made a fine mist with his powers, letting the light shine onto it to create a rainbow. "O' Iris, my colourful friend, could you please show me Apollo."

A melodic voice rang out from the mist, soft but clear. "Of course, my lord."

"Now, now. We're all friends here, there is no need for formalities," Aleixo paused before adding as an afterthought, "unless it's for dramatic effect."

"Of course." There was a slightly amused tone to the voice, even if you could not see the speaker.

The mist blurred, before clearing, showing a clear image of Apollo, who by the looks of it was in his temple. When he saw his friend he grinned. "Hey, Aleixo! What's up?"

"Hey, my _liakáda_ ," the God of Hope said softly into the message. "Are you busy?"

Apollo tilted his head to the side, "Not at the moment, why?"

"Well... I need a favour," Aleixo started.

"Sure thing, what do you need?"

"I was thinking that it would be a good idea for the praetors of Camp Jupiter to know about the prophecy. While I would do it myself, the Romans know nothing of me and well I was hoping you could..." Aleixo trailed off, but Apollo understood.

"You want me to go with you so they would know that you aren't lying," He stated. The God of Hope nodded. "Well, of course, I will go with you, Ali! After all, you are my best friend."

Aleixo smiled gratefully at the God of the Sun. "Thank you."

~~~

The two gods met near Camp Jupiter, wanting to walk in on foot. Apollo was in his Roman form, though not much changed physically. He was more serious in this form and did not joke around as much. Looking at his friend, the God of the Sun realized that he had not shifted to a Roman form.

"Are you going to stay in your Greek form? That might not be well received by the Romans." Apollo inquired.

"I don't necessarily have a Roman form. As I wasn't known during the time Greece fell, the Romans saw me as a myth. Someone who the Greeks made up." He explained. "As a result, they didn't give me a new name, and instead of shifting into a Roman form when the empire rose, the two forms merged. As I am right now is both my Greek and Roman form, as they share the same name, look the same, and act the same. Sometimes you can tell when one side is more dominant at a certain point in time. Like when I'm more serious, my Roman side prevails, but in the end, I am still the same person."

That sparked Apollo's curiosity. "So it is impossible for you to shift forms?"

Aleixo shook his head. "Not impossible. When I allow one side to completely take over, I shift, but it is impossible to tell. It's kind of like the primordials, they can shift from Roman to Greek, and vice versa, seamlessly. It's actually why I seem bipolar, carefree like the Greeks one minute, and serious like the Romans the next."

Apollo nodded in acceptance, as the two gods approached the guards at the entrance. When the guards noticed them they bowed to Apollo.

Aleixo took the time to study them. They were wearing classic roman armour, both having a spear and a sword on hand. The male had icy blue eyes, while the female didn't have any defining features. She did, however, seem to have a lot more weapons on her and seemed more prone to attack. _'A son of Mercury and a daughter of Mars.'_ He concluded.

"Lord Apollo." They said in unison.

"Rise." The two demigods rose from their bow. "We need to see Praetor Reyna and Praetor Frank. Could you take us to them?"

The male nodded his assent. "Of course Lord Apollo. Follow me."

The demigod led the two gods into camp, passing many of the legionaries, who looked at them curiously. The son of Mercury asked a nearby demigod to get the praetors when they came to a stop in the field of Mars.

When Reyna and Frank arrived, they bowed to Apollo. "Lord Apollo."

"Rise," Apollo said. "We need to have a word in private with the two of you."

Reyna nodded, telling them to follow her as she made her way towards the senate-house. Closing the door behind them she addressed the god in the room. "Lord Apollo, what did you need to speak to us about."

"Do not fret, the two of you are not in trouble," Apollo reassured, seeing the slightly nervous look the two had.

"This," He said, gesturing towards his friend, "is Lord Aleixo. He is the son of Neptune and Aurora, and he is the God of Hope, Time, Balance, Heroes, and Liquids."

Frank's eyes widened slightly at that. "Lord Aleixo," The two praetors said bowing.

"There is no need to bow. Formalities do not sit well with me." Aleixo said, allowing them to rise.

"We are here today because of the newest prophecy," Apollo stated. "You both know of it, but there have been complications. I'll let Aleixo explain it, as he will do it much more accurately than I can."

The two demigods turned to the other god, who started to explain what happened. In the end the demigods looked worried at the implications. "What should we do?"

Aleixo answered with a completely serious expression, one that hasn't been seen on his face in a very long time. "Continue training as usual. Do not inform all of Camp Jupiter just yet, only the most trusted demigods. Camp Half-blood has been given the same instructions, so you should probably discuss with Chiron who you want to inform."

The praetors agreed, but Reyna hesitated for a second after. "Lord Aleixo?"

"Yes?"

"Why is it that we have never heard of you?" She asked cautiously, not wanting to tick off the god. He might not have been a god Rome actively worshiped, but she was still Roman and they prided themselves in showing the utmost respect to all gods.

"I was not in contact with Olympus when Greece fell to Rome. Any known records of me would have been destroyed. The Romans thought I was a myth, a fabrication the Greeks came up with, as I hadn't been seen for so long." He stated.

"Is this your Greek form then?" Frank asked timidly, curious about the unknown god. He had grown more confident over the past few months, but that didn't mean he was completely comfortable with speaking freely to the gods yet.

The god pursed his lips. "Not necessarily. This is both my Greek and Roman form. I do not change from one to the next, however, this is a story for another day. We will be in contact soon, praetors."

The two gods started glowing, and the demigods averted their eyes. When the flash disappeared, they were gone.

~~~

_In the deepest depths of the earth, a pair of siblings were discussing what was to come..._

"Do you think he will be able to defeat our sister?"

"Not without help."

"He has our help as well as all those he befriended while he was down in your domain."

"Yes, but none of us can directly interfere."

"Maybe not, but Mother can."

"Yes, however, he has no way of asking her. I'm also certain that if Mother seals hear she will fade."

"We could give him a way of contacting her, and Mother deserves to rest."

"That she does..."

"Let's hope this ends in our favour, and that Mother can finally be at peace, without having to run the universe."

"Are you suggesting..."

"Of course, brother, he would be perfect for the job."

"But will he want it?"

"Probably not... all he ever wanted was peace, balance..."

"Maybe it's for the better... Or maybe it just isn't worth it..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Here's the next chapter! I have been writing quite a bit recently, so hopefully, chapters will be posted regularly.
> 
> Okay I know Nico is a bit OOC, but my explanation for that is that this is after he got together with Will. He's happier and opens up to people more easily, added on to being in Aleixo's presence. The Roman part is a bit awkward, but I just wanted to acknowledge the fact that they exist.
> 
> The next chapter will have Aleixo interacting with more people (gods) as well as a new character being introduced.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter!

** Chapter 7 **

"I don't know what to do!"

Hades looked at his favourite nephew who looked slightly hysterical. The two were sitting in Aleixo's room located in the underworld, where Aleixo stayed every so often. The orange-eyed god was one of the only people who had no qualms with the underworld and actually enjoyed being there.

Hades had always had a positive relationship with the God of Hope, and the two could often be found in the underworld, discussing the most random of things. Aleixo always enjoyed talking to his Uncle, someone he could tell anything to and know that they wouldn't judge. Currently, Aleixo had gone to the underworld to seek advice from the older god, hoping that his uncle could give him something to solve the riddle that was a prophecy.

"We can't draw her into the sky, we can't seal her, we don't even have a weapon that's able to kill her!" Aleixo exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

"How about you take a deep breath and calm down first. It will help to think with a clear head." Hades' voice was rich and smooth, lulling the younger god to relax. Seeing Aleixo visibly calm down he continued. "There is only one of the type of weapon we need to ever exist."

Aleixo nodded.

"And the wielder of said weapon is still alive."

Another nod.

"Why don't you ask if you could borrow the weapon, and swear to return it afterwards," Hades suggested.

Alexio shook his head. "The weapon could only be wielded by two people. It's owner, who Olympus would never agree to work with, and its creator."

"Who I assume neither can help," Hades stated.

The God of Hope made a so-so motion with his hand. "Not exactly... I will not be able to get a hold on the creator of the weapon, she is far out of my reach. As for the person she gifted it to... well I think we both know how well that will go, even if I manage to convince him to help"

Hades grimaced at that thought. There was no way in Tartarus that his little brother would be willing to work with their father.

"Is there a reason that Father's weapon can kill primordials?" The elder god asked, hoping to build an idea.

Aleixo sat up straight entering what his family would call his know-it-all persona. "The original weapon was a gift from Lady Chaos to the Titan King as her approval for him to rule the Earth. The original weapon was gold to symbolize that it belonged to the Titan Lord of Time, and was said to be able to shift into any form. The weapon fades beings, immortal or otherwise, by using the power of the five rivers of the underworld, cutting into the soul, never allowing it to reform, and eventually dissolving it completely. While never proven, the weapon was said to be blessed by the Creator herself, which is what supposedly allowed lesser beings to kill primordials."

Hades sighed, the information confirming his suspicions. "The only solution I see is contacting the Creator. Forging weapons in the five rivers of the underworld is risky, and as far as I know, does not allow weapons to kill immortals."

"Do you know how I can contact the creator?" Aleixo said, a tinge of hope in his voice.

The God of the Underworld shook his head. "Unfortunately not. No Greek god on Earth has seen the Creator in many years. Your best bet is to either ask gods of the other pathogens or the older Titans and Primordials."

The God of Hope sighed. "Worth a try. Any ideas on what I can offer in exchange for her help?"

"You should just ask her when you see her. What she would want wouldn't be something physical. As the Creator, you would think she has everything, so it probably won't be what you're expecting." The elder god advised.

Taking a deep breath he got up, turning to Hades. "Thank you for the advice, Uncle. I will be leaving, for now, you know how to find me if something comes up."

Hades nodded at him, acknowledging what he said. "Of course. I'll see you soon then?"

Aleixo nodded once, before disappearing in a flash of light, leaving behind a sense of hope.

~~~

Aleixo appeared in the Olympian throne room, heading towards the hearth. There sat Hestia in her normal seven-year-old form, tending to the flames. The God of Hope sat next to her, neither saying anything for a moment.

Aleixo looked into the flames of the hearth, feeling love one familiarity course through him. He broke the silence, eyes never leaving the flames once. "Do you know any heroes, past or present, who need something to do?"

Hestia looked towards the God of Hope, raising one eyebrow at his strange question. "Of course. Heroes come and go, but there are those who would love a chance to prove themselves."

Aleixo hummed at her reply but didn't say anything else. The Goddess of the Hearth studied him closely, before seemingly finding what she was looking for. "Is there a reason you're asking me this now?"

"It's just that with the prophecy going on, I haven't had time to care for my main domain, Heroes." He admitted, hanging his head a bit.

"And you're looking for a champion to help you."

Aleixo nodded, not surprised that his Aunt knew what he was thinking. "Yeah."

Hestia cocked her head to the side slightly, looking at her nephew. "Wouldn't asking Chiron be a better idea. After all, he knows all heroes."

The orange-eyed god shook his head. "No. Chiron, no matter how much he tries not to be, is biased. He has his favourite students, and would suggest the best of the best."

"But you don't want the best." It was more of a statement than a question.

"No, I do not. I want someone who has a pure heart. Someone who wants redemption. I do not want someone who is happy with how they are right now. No, because taking them away from their happiness will be more of a curse than a blessing. That's why I came to you. You see the best in everyone, Aunt Hestia." He explained.

The goddess nodded, understanding his reasoning. "How about you ask those who turned to the titans in the Great Prophecy? They are heroes who had good intentions but made a bad choice. Some of them, I would assume, want a second chance, while others don't think they deserve it. In the end, some of them don't have anyone who they are waiting on in the underworld, and I believe that they would make a perfect champion for you."

Aleixo looked at his Aunt, "... you have someone in mind don't you?"

Hestia smiled softly at him. "I do, but it is up to him whether he accepts or not."

~~~

A soul strolled through the fields of Elysium, feeling unsatisfied. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. There was nothing left for him in Elysium, but he didn't want to be reborn. Not yet anyways. He didn't think his actions deserved a second chance, and to be honest, he didn't even think he would make it to Elysium, to begin with. When he died he was expecting to be thrown into the Fields of Punishment or maybe even Tartarus.

The soul stopped at the top of a large hill, sitting down and looking into the distance. He ran a hand through his blond hair. Honestly, there was another reason he didn't want to be reborn. If he were to be reborn he would lose all his memories, no matter what he had said in the past, his memories were important to him. They reminded him of what was important in life, and if he was reborn, he would forget that, needing to relearn it all over again. This time though, there he probably won't be as lucky to have a safety net, to catch those around him when he made a bad choice.

Suddenly someone sat down beside him, breaking him out of his thoughts. Turning to look at the person next to him, he found them to be unfamiliar. They didn't say anything, not even looking at him, so the blond soul took the time to study him. The man was wearing a dark cloak, but the hood was down, allowing the soul to see his face. He had two swords strapped to his back in an X formation. He was lightly tanned and had black hair with frosted tips. The man was pretty well built, but the most impressive thing was his eyes. The man had bright golden-orange irises, which immediately made the blond think that this was no regular mortal.

Warily the soul asked, "Who are you? And why are you here?"

The man chuckled at his tone of voice. "Can't a man enjoy the view?" At the soul's disbelieving look, he relented. "I am Aleixo."

The blond ran through names in his head, but he couldn't seem to place it. Suddenly he had a jolt, and a memory played through his head.

" _Why are you doing this?" Hades demanded angrily, but he looked a bit upset. "Aleixo would be so disappointed..."_

Hades had spoken of his name, but it held no significance to the blond soul. Realizing Aleixo had never answered the second question, he asked again. "And why are you here?"

Aleixo hummed. "I'm here to offer you a deal."

The soul was immediately wary of this 'deal'. He made a mistake once, and he refused to make it again. "What kind of deal?"

"A deal that will give you a second chance, one that I hope you'll accept." The orange-eyed man said.

"I won't accept anything until I hear the details." He said firmly.

Aleixo's eyes glimmered. "I wouldn't expect anything less. You see it is my responsibility to look after heroes, but not just on earth. I look after heroes all across the universe. While I love my job, it is impossible for me to be everywhere at once. On Earth, Artemis looks after some of the heroes I cannot, but on other planets? There is no one."

Aleixo paused looking sadly into the distance. "For the last five years, I have been tending to my domain on planet Zematu, a planet that works similarly to Earth actually, and I've realized that because of that I have neglected the heroes on Earth."

Alexio turned to look at the soul for the first time since he sat down. "My offer to you is to become my champion, so you can help me lessen the number of heroes that get neglected throughout the universe."

The blond thought about what he said. It confirmed his suspicions on this being a god, though why he has never heard of him is a mystery. "What happens if I accept?"

"You will be given my blessing, and then I will unlock the knowledge of the planets and languages of the universe. You will be reborn, but with all your memories intact, so I guess more like you will be brought back to life. You will be partially immortal, the same age as when you died, and then you will train. After that you will be free to roam the universe, helping anyone who needs it, and assisting when you can. Your first responsibility will always be off Earth, but that doesn't mean you will not be able to help on Earth." Aleixo explained with the smallest of smiles.

"And if I refuse?" He asked apprehensively. He knew immortal beings, most of those who don't like to take 'no' for an answer.

"Nothing. You'll stay in Elysium, and I'll wait until I find someone else worthy of being my first champion."

The blond soul thought that it was a good deal. He would have something to make him feel of use again. He could also make sure no one ever made the same mistake, he did ever again. Before he made a decision, he had one more question to ask. "Why me?"

Aleixo looked as if he expected the question. "Because you are pure of heart." The soul went to protest, but the god raised his hand to stop him. "You made a mistake, yes, but you had good intentions in mind. You wanted to help all of those heroes who were forgotten and in the end... you did. That makes you worthy. You brought hope to those who had long since lost it." He finished softly.

The two sat in silence for a bit, while the soul thought about what the god said. Aleixo waited patiently for him to respond, respecting that he needed time to think.

"Alright. I accept."

The orange-eyed god smiled and started chanting in a language the soul didn't recognize. It was odd; ancient and almost... otherworldly. The soul glowed a bright golden orange colour, before becoming solid.

"You will need to choose a new name because you are still technically dead," Aleixo said to him.

The blond furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "How will changing my name fix that?"

"I will be marking you as 'reborn'. So while _you_ are dead, your reborn soul will not be." The god explained.

"So you're faking me being reborn." He said, raising one eyebrow.

Aleixo considered it before he nodded. "Pretty much."

The blond thought for a second, deciding on a new name. "My new name will be, Xander Karan."

Aleixo smiled in approval. "Protector of the Pure. I like it."

Xander suddenly thought of something. "You never told me what you were the god of."

"I am the God of Hope, Heroes, Balance, Time, and Liquids. The firstborn son of Poseidon and Eos."

Xander's eyes widened in surprise. "Why haven't I heard of you? You're obviously a major god."

"Let's go to my house first, I have a few gifts for my first champion. We can get to know each other there." Aleixo suggested.

Xander nodded, and the God of Hope whisked them away.

~~~

The two reappeared in what Xander thought was a living room. Mentioning for him to sit on the couch, Aleixo walked into the next room, telling his newly found champion that he'll be right back. Xander took the time to study his surroundings, something he picked up from his demigod life.

The room was large, but considering this was a home of a god, that was no surprise. There was a television in front of the couch, but it looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. Around the room, there were pictures decorating the walls. Taking a closer look the pictures seemed very old, to the point where he was questioning how they were even taken, seeing as cameras hadn't been invented yet. Taking a closer look he realized the pictures were of Aleixo and Apollo, an interesting combination if he was to say so himself. There were also pictures of Aleixo with Poseidon, Hestia, and surprisingly, Hades and Hera. The six of them looked happy, like a true family.

Aleixo walked back into the room making the blond snap his attention towards him. The god was holding a cloak and a small box in his hand, giving them both to Xander.

"The cloak is to hide your identity. You still look the same as you did before you died, so covering your face while on Earth would be a good call." The god said to his champion.

Xander nodded, understanding the importance of keeping his identity secret. After all, how he came back from the dead was not something he was keen on explaining. "And the box?"

"In the box, you will find a ring that should fit on your pinky. The ring allows you to talk to me mentally from anywhere and, when taken off, will warp you to the home base, here." Aleixo explained.

"Where is here exactly?" The blond questioned, curious.

The orange-eyed god shrugged. "Technically... nowhere. This place is in a... hidden realm of sorts. You cannot see it from the outside and can only be gotten into by teleportation."

Xavier nodded slowly. "I guess in the world of mythology, anything is possible."

Aleixo beamed at his champion. "That's the spirit!"

"So what powers do I get from being your champion? And what did you mean earlier by _unlock_ the knowledge of languages and planets?" The blond demigod questioned, curious.

"You were born a son of Hermes, and he is the language and travel. Being his son gives you a gift for the languages, automatically allowing you to learn languages very quickly. His domain of travel allows you to know where you are, and that applies to the entire universe.

"As most gods don't leave Earth often, this knowledge is commonly suppressed. So even if a demigod inherits it, the knowledge never gets used and is eventually forgotten. Out of the many demigods I have had the pleasure of meeting, you have definitely inherited the most from Hermes. The information you already have, it's just been sitting in the back of your mind, as it was unuseful. All I have done is bring it to the front of your brain, so all that information comes to you." Aleixo explained patiently.

Xander just nodded, finding the information interesting. It seemed to him that there were many things that he still needed to learn about the godly world.

"As for your new powers... You should be able to vapour travel, which is how you will be getting from planet to planet. You will also be able to tell when a hero needs help, and where they are. You can tell how balanced something is, like how much a fight is in one side's favour. Your aura, like mine, will spread hope." Aleixo paused for a second, thinking. "You may also be able to control liquids to a degree, though that will be extremely taxing. Another thing you might get is glimpses of the future, though if you did get that, it would happen very rarely."

Xander furrowed his eyebrows at that last one. "How will I be able to see the future? Which one of your domains grant that?" He asked curiously.

"It is unknown to most, but my domain of time does that. After all, the future is just a different time, isn't it?" Aleixo said with a wink.

The blond demigod frowned thoughtfully. "Huh, I guess it is..."

Aleixo clapped his hands. "Alright, let's move on. You need a weapon. I assume you prefer the sword." At Xander's nod, he continued. "Follow me, we are going to pick out a weapon for you."

~~~

Aleixo led Xander through many hallways until they reached a training room. "Here is where you can practice your weapons and new powers. I want you to practice vapour travel until you master it, that is the most important."

Xander nodded and continued to follow the god to the back of the room. Aleixo put his hand on the Phoenix symbol, saying something in a language the demigod didn't recognize.

Suddenly a door opened leading to a back storage room. The two walked in stopping in front of the weapons.

"Here are all the different weapons. You will feel one of them call out to you." Aleixo turned to his champion. "Go ahead, walk around, until you feel which one belongs with you."

Xander walked around the room, admiring all the weapons in it. The weapons ranged from short swords to spears. Bows, to daggers. Every weapon was unique, not a single one similar to the next. It made him wonder what other weapons had once been here, taken by those that it called out to.

He walked around until he came to a stop in front of two swords. They looked exactly the same other than the colour pallet. One was white with blue highlights, and the other What's black with red highlights.

Aleixo walked up next to him looking at the swords that called out to him. "Those are _Ekdíkisi_ and _Dikaiosýni_."

"Revenge and Justice." He whispered.

The god nodded. "Yes, together they are referred to as _Ta Dídyma_ or 'The Twins'. Opposites, yet the same. A very beautiful set." He looked at his champion. "They are yours now, take good care of them."

Xander mutely picked them up, still captivated by the beauty of the two swords. The blades had their names etched into the side, glowing with their respective colour. The handle was thinner than mast swords he had used before but was just as sturdy and comfortable. The blades were thick, with the end curved slightly. They didn't look like a Greek-style blade, and Xander wondered if the god had designed them himself. He strapped them onto his back, similar to the way Aleixo sheaths his symbols of power.

Aleixo mentioned for Xander to follow him, and the two exited the area, the secret entrance closing behind him. "There is one more thing I need to give you."

The blond snapped his head up to him at that. "What else is there?"

Aleixo smiled softly at him. "Everyone needs a companion. You will be travelling alone most of the time, so you need someone to keep you company."

The God of Hope let out what Xander thought to be a bird call. For a moment, the blond stared up at the god confused. Suddenly, a large Phoenix landed on Aleixo's shoulder.

"This is Celosia. She will be your companion from now on. She will assist you and keep you company during your journey." Celosia flew to land on Xander's shoulder, letting out a call once it landed.

"The Phoenix is my sacred animal, and because of that, you should be able to understand her," Aleixo explained. "But for now let's get to know each other. I'm sure you have some questions for me."

~~~

The two spent the rest of the day talking to each other, and learning about each other's past. By the end of it, they could confidently say that they knew each other. Xander yawned, tired from everything that happened today.

Noticing the yawn, Aleixo told his champion to get some rest, leading him to a room that will be his from that day on. Before he left, he turned towards the demigod. "Xander."

The blond turned towards him. "Yes?"

"I want you to promise me one thing," Aleixo said seriously.

Xander cocked his head to one side, slightly confused. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise me to never forget your first life. To never forget who you once were." He said softly.

Xander didn't understand the significance of the promise, he went with it anyway. "I promise. I will do anything I can to never forget."

Aleixo nodded satisfied and left, accepting the promise. "Good night my champion."

"Goodnight Aleixo."

~~~

_Watching over them were three siblings, overseeing a brighter future..._

"A champion is a wise decision."

"When has he ever made an unwise one?"

"True enough."

"The son of Hermes would have not been my first choice, but he will have to do."

"Trust his judgement sister, I'm sure he knows what he is doing."

"I hope so..."

"The fate of the universe will fall into their hands."

"Yes... soon..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! All the planets mentioned are made up (So don't bother looking them up).
> 
> Just to note, Xander is NOT an OC. He is someone who died in the war, and canonically, went for rebirth (Shhh... This is a fanfiction, anything goes...). I'm sure you can guess who he is, but his identity will be revealed next chapter. He is not too important to this story but is important to the Silent Death Universe.
> 
> Okay, I should probably tell you that I have decided that Aleixo will have a paring. Not going to spoil who it is (Even though you can probably guess), but I will say it is a slash pairing. So for those who don't like that, you can skip those parts, it won't come into play until much later.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Xander (zan-der) - Protector
> 
> Xander Karan (zan-der care-an) - Protector of the Pure
> 
> Ta Dídyma (ta dill-dee-ma) - The Twins
> 
> Ekdíkisi (ek-vee-key-see) - Revenge
> 
> Dikaiosýni (dee-key-o-see-knee) - Justice
> 
> Celosia (cee-lo-sha) - The Burning Flame
> 
> Zematu (Za-mat-oo) - Planet


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter!

**Chapter 8**

"Aleixo?"

The god turned towards his champion, prompting him to continue. "Yes?"

Xander shifted nervously, a bit nervous about the question he was going to ask. "How many of the gods know that I'm... well me. Back from the dead."

Aleixo softened at that, understanding that he wasn't the most comfortable with the gods knowing about him being back. After all, he did betray them. "At the moment only 3, excluding me. Hestia, who suggested I chose you as my champion, Hades, who I needed to clear the paperwork with, and Apollo, who I told yesterday, so if he shows up here there won't be some sort of misunderstanding."

The blond demigod cocked his head to one side. "Misunderstanding?" He questioned.

The God of Hope looked a bit sheepish at that. "Ah, yes. As you know this place can only be reached by teleportation, so for someone that should be dead to be here is quite alarming. Apollo comes here most often, but you will probably meet the rest of my family soon." He looked at Xander seeing him nodding along. "Although if you want to talk to your father, I can arrange that."

Xander snapped his head up to look at his patron, hope shining in his eyes. "You can?"

Aleixo smiled warmly at him. "Of course, if you would like that I will."

"I would like that. Thank you." The blond demigod whispered.

~~~

For the next few hours, Aleixo taught Xander how to vapour travel. At first, it was very taxing and he was only able to travel a few feet, but with Aleixo's constant encouragement, he got better. By the end of their training session, Xander was able to travel to the opposite side of the world without feeling tired. Of course, this wasn't nearly good enough, as the planets were light years apart, but it was nice to know that he had made progress.

The god had also shown him the most effective way to dual-wield swords, being someone who always uses two swords himself. Although Xander was hailed in his past life for being one of the best swordsmen of his, and probably a few before, generation, he was still no match for Aleixo. He got frustrated at times, but the god would just remind him that he had been fighting with two swords for millennia, and Xander had never practiced dual-wielding swords in his past life.

Right now they were taking a break from the second half of their training session. Xander looked up from his spot on the floor, where he was lying down to question Aleixo. "Those swords on your back, what are they and why do you never use them?"

"The swords on my back are my symbols of power," Aleixo explained. "The black one is called _Strike Skiá_ or Shadow Strike, while it's counterpart is called _Koíli siopí_ or Hollow Silence. They were a gift forged by my mother and her siblings before I received my domains. They trained me with them and I always used them for the longest time. When I finally got my domains on Olympus, I chose them as my symbol of power. They are connected to my domains and my _soul_.

"As for why I never use them... they are powerful and have become even stronger after I named them twin symbols of power. They have the power to cause a mortal soul to fade into the void, as well as permanently kill monsters. For most immortal beings it makes any fatal blow... well fatal, causing them to immediately die and go to Tartarus to reform. It's kinda risky, so I don't use them unless I'm fighting a purely immortal battle, where no souls will fade into the void." He said, a slight sad note to his voice.

Xander listened silently, understanding the risk of using the two blades. If he accidentally killed someone, they would disappear forever, never even reaching the underworld. "What are the swords you usually fight with then?"

The God of Hope smiled at the question. "I usually fight with another pair of swords." He twisted the rings on his fingers. "These were gifts from my father and uncle before I went down under. As you can probably guess, the silver one is from my father and the black one is from Uncle Hades. This one," he held up the silver and blue sword, "is called _Lykófos_ or Twilight, probably to remind me of my mother, the titan of dawn. The other one is called _Kókkino paratiritírio_ or Red Obsidian, in reference to the material it is made of."

The blond demigod took all the information in, making note of it in his head. Suddenly a question popped into his head. "If I'm going to be on other planets, will my swords be able to kill the things there?"

"A valid question. Your swords are made of a special material not of this world. The material is called Zaphos and can only be found on planet Vangode. It can kill and injure all beings found in the universe, except one." Aleixo took out a silver dagger with engravings on the hilt, handing it to him. "On some planets, you will find a monster called the Vex. Vexes can only be killed using Tanpron, a silver-like material found on Feltio. That is what that dagger is made of, I suggest keeping it on you at all times. Vexes are small, about two and a half feet tall, and grey. They look like a cross between a shrivelled up corpse and a fairy. They are notorious for being vicious, so do not underestimate them."

Xander nodded, writing this down somewhere in his head. He sheath the dagger making sure that it was somewhere that he would not lose it. "Are we continuing to practice?"

The god paused to think about it, before shaking his head. "I have a council meeting to get to in an hour, after that, you will be getting a visitor." He looked pointedly at him, knowing Xander knew exactly who he was referring to. "I'm going to get going now, you can continue practicing, but be warned that the council meeting will take no more than an hour, be prepared."

Seeing Xander give a single nod, he vapour travelled away, ending up by the cliffside.

~~~

The cliffside was never named, not by Aleixo, nor Apollo. They never really called it anything other than the cliffside. Aleixo sat on the single cliff, behind the house. It was tall, hanging over the sea edge. Time passed differently here like it did in the underworld and the home base. As the God of Time, he could control how fast it went, and usually, time by the cliffside ran at half speed. Time in the home base varied from time to time, but for now, it ran at normal speed.

Aleixo thought about everything that had happened since he got back. Finding out the Prophecy of Change has been altered, to getting a Champion. While most things that happened weren't so great, he definitely knew that choosing a champion had been the right choice. Now he could worry less about neglecting the heroes of the other worlds while giving the blond hero another chance.

If he was being honest, Xander interested him. He had turned to the titans because he resented his father, but Aleixo could tell there was another reason. The boy still loved his father, he could see that very clearly. He had another reason for turning to the titans, and the God of Hope wasn't sure if the demigod realized it himself. There was a reason he wanted him to never forget his past life. He wanted Xander to realize why he turned to the titans, and in turn, use that to sympathize with others. This was not a way to forget his past life, no, this was a second chance. A way to make up for his mistakes, and make sure no one made the same mistake he did. He is still the same person he once was, just wiser, from the experience he gained.

Aleixo's thoughts wandered once more, this time remembering something else that he had gained from coming back. He had got to see Apollo again.

Ah, Apollo, the God who was just about as hot as his domain. Aleixo smiled when thinking of his best friend. He had missed Apollo the most out of everyone, even his father. Apollo was someone who he told everything to, his deepest secrets to his most worrying thoughts, the two gods never kept much of anything from each other. Of course, there were things that they weren't allowed to tell each other, but they never allowed that to get between them. They cared for each other a lot, more than the two of them probably realized. They weren't just best friends, they were comrades, they were companions, they were ally's, and most importantly, they were family. They loved each other and although neither of them knew it, their souls were connected, in more ways than one.

The god's mind switched gears to think about his family. He had visited two of them already, but he hasn't paid a visit to Atlantis yet. He wanted to see his stepmother and little brother again. Most would think that he wouldn't get along well with his stepfamily, but Aleixo never paid much mind to it. Amphitrite may not be his mother, and Triton may be his stepbrother, but to him, they were still family, and that is what was important. His father was delighted that the three of them got along, even more so when Aleixo and Triton hit it off almost immediately. They would spend their time underwater together, like real siblings.

Hera, despite disliking demigods and seen as a cruel goddess, adored Aleixo. To her, he was like her perfect little angel. Not many people knew of her soft side, as after Aleixo went into hiding, she showed it much less. Aleixo was like her anchor, from going insane when her husband cheated on her. The Queen of the Heavens respected the fact that it was Aleixo's job to help heroes, and that all demigods were considered heroes. She never made his job any harder on him, sometimes even helping him when his job became too taxing. With Aleixo around she realized that it wasn't the demigods' fault that they were born to a god, so if anything she should blame the gods. When Aleixo left, she fell apart, taking her anger out on her husband's children, even if she knew it wasn't their fault. She always knew that it was in immortal blood to have affairs, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

It was actually one of the reasons Aleixo remained her perfect little angel. Other than the maiden goddess', who has sworn to eternal maidenhood, he was the only god to have never had an affair, neither mortal nor immortal. Aleixo believed in true love and has never had any children. He believed that children should come from a union of true love, not pleasure. The God of Hope has never had any lovers before, no matter how many had tried to make advances on him, he always refused. Admittingly he had his eye on someone, but he would not make a move, not yet at least.

He snapped out of his thoughts looking around and checking his internal clock, realizing that the meeting will start soon. Sighing, he got up, brushing the invisible dust off his clothing and flashing to the throne room.

~~~

He was early, though that wasn't unusual. Aleixo loved being on time, almost to the point of obsession. Sure he sometimes acted like he was late for dramatic effect, but he would never be accidentally late. It probably had something to do with him being the God of Time. It would be undoubtedly ironic for someone who could bend time to their will to be late.

Aleixo climbed up to the ceiling, opening a small hidden trapdoor. The trapdoor opened to reveal a room, right above Olympus' throne room. The room was built by Aleixo and Apollo many years ago, to pull off pranks. Aleixo had spent a full 48 hours researching and studying architecture to see if building an attic in Olympus would cause structural damage. They even managed to get Hecate to enchant the room, so that it would stay forever, hidden from the eyes of the people who didn't know it was there.

The room wasn't very big, only large enough for 4 people to fit snugly. There were a few things in the room, including pranking supplies and some weapons. Aleixo closed the trapdoor, looking through the one-way glass floor to watch the throne room.

The Olympians flashed in one by one, until all of them sat in their thrones. Just as the meeting was about to start, Aleixo dropped down from the ceiling, hood up, and head down. Lifting his head, he addressed the Olympians. "Greetings, everyone. We are gathered here today to discuss what you have planned so far in regards to the war."

"What we have planned does not concern you!" Zeus snarled at the god before anyone could stop him.

Aleixo looked at the Lightning God, a cold look in his eyes. "It doesn't concern me, huh?" The God of Hope barked out a laugh. "If I don't assist you in this war, you have no chance at beating Gaea. You barely beat her during the first Giant war and she wasn't even at her full power!" Aleixo's voice was dangerously calm, showing his similarity to his father. "You need me in this war, and you know it. I suggest you tread carefully, as my patience runs thin."

Zeus glared at him but backed down knowing he was right. Without the Fates supporting them in the first Gigantomachy, there was no way they would have won.

Athena cleared her throat, drawing the god's attention to her. When she had everyone's attention, she went on to explain the basic plan and the scenarios they have prepared for.

Aleixo listened frowning slightly. The plans they had would have worked for _most_ scenarios, but this was a special case. The gods have never fought a primordial at their full power, they had no insight. Admittingly, he didn't either, but he knew people who did; the Titans. The titans had the experience, but Olympus and Othrys had never got along, mainly due to the fact that Zeus and Kronos detest each other. He would have to ask to see if there was anything notable they should look out for.

Shaking his head he addressed the Goddess of Wisdom. "While that would be an amazing plan against mast enemies, you have to remember that we are dealing with a Primordial, and not just any Primordial, one of the original ones, the daughter of Lady Chaos herself."

"But we beat her last time, with seven demigods." Athena objected, disliking the fact that the God of Hope was criticizing her plans.

"While that was impressive, you have to remember that that was Gaea at her _weakest_ point." He said, stressing out the word weakest. "She had just woken up after thousands of years of being dormant." He shook his head. "No, this war will be different. You will be fighting a Primordial at full power, something that hasn't happened since before the Golden Age. You will need a stronger plan."

Athena bristled in anger, at the fact that the god was dismissing her careful planning. She didn't do anything about it, for once, knowing that Aleixo would not accept any objections. She remembered the line for the prophecy, _"One wrong move will cause Olympus to fall,"_ and she was sure it referred to Aleixo. They didn't have the privilege of testing his patience right now.

Getting her teeth she bit out, "Do you have a better plan then."

Aleixo pressed his lips together, thinking for a second, before shaking his head. "As for the moment, no." He admitted. "But after hearing your plan, I do plan on asking someone with experience to give some advice."

Hera looked at the god, remembering something from the last meeting. "Aleixo," she called, prompting him to look at her. "Didn't you say last time that you were gathering allies?"

Aleixo nodded. "Yes, I have asked most of my contacts. None of them will interfere directly in this war, but will do what they can from the shadows."

Athena pursed her lips at the implication, not liking the odds. "Is there a reason they won't directly interfere, or is it that they are forbidden from doing so?"

"Well both actually," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Some are straight-up forbidden from interfering, while others aren't exactly... on the best terms with Olympus."

Zeus bristled in anger at what the god just implied. "Are you saying you are working with Olympus' enemies!"

Aleixo glared at the god. "They might be your enemies, but they ain't mine. They have kindly offered their assistance, so as far as you're concerned they are our allies and will be treated as such." He snapped at the King of Gods.

"Aleixo..." A voice sounded to the right, making the god snap his attention towards it. "Whose help did you ask for?" Poseidon spoke cautiously, afraid to anger his obviously enraged son more. He had a good guess on who they might be but he wanted confirmation.

Realizing it was his father who spoke, Aleixo calmed down. "Family," he said shortly, not offering any more of an explanation.

While most had no clue who he was referring to, realization dawned upon the ones closest to him. Aleixo wasn't as inconspicuous as he thought when it came to talking to those in the depths of the pit. All the members of his family knew that he kept in touch with the titans, even if the god himself didn't know they did.

"If there's nothing else, this meeting will end here." Looking around, no one said anything, so Aleixo nodded ending the meeting.

Most of the gods flashed away, but before the Messenger God could, Aleixo called out to him. "Hermes."

The God of Thieves looked at Aleixo, wondering what he needed. "Yes?"

"You should come with me. I think there's someone you want to see." He said smiling mysteriously.

Hermes raised an eyebrow at his words, thinking about who he would be wanting to meet. Nodding he made his way towards the God of Hope, and he vapour travelled the two of them away.

~~~

Arriving in Aleixo's house, Hermes looked around. "Nice place. Who am I meeting?"

Aleixo didn't offer an explanation, just mentioning for the younger god to follow him. The two made their way through the hallways, eventually stopping in front of a door with the name 'Xander' on it. He was sure that he didn't know a Xander, he would remember such a name. Gesturing for him to open it, Aleixo said, "Why don't you see for yourself."

Hermes opened the door slowly, not sure what to expect. When he saw who was inside, it was definitely not who he was expecting. Inside sat a boy with sandy blond hair who looked about 24. He had icy blue eyes, so much like his own, and a scar running down his eye, reaching his cheek. He stared at him in disbelief that he was alive. He remembered when he had died, the Fates carried his body out themselves. But here he was alive and well.

"Luke?" He whispered, eyes wide in shock.

He gave a small smile and a wave. "Hey, dad."

Not trusting his words, he surged forwards, wrapping his favourite son in a hug, barely hearing Aleixo's quiet voice of 'I'll leave you two alone, to catch up' in the background because nothing else mattered at the moment. His favourite son was _alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Here's chapter 8!
> 
> I just wanted to say that the planets, metals, and monsters are all made up (though searching Vex up on google will give you results, including an image I'm referencing) and have no exterior meaning. Also, I realize I never gave translations or pronunciations for Aleixo's weapons in previous chapters. I might go back to fix that eventually, but for now, oh well.
> 
> I know some of the gods are OOC, but keep in mind that this is with Aleixo interfering in the timeline. Plus, Zeus and Athena are prideful, but they aren't stupid. They can recognize that Aleixo is a dangerous enemy to have.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Xander (zan-der) - Protector
> 
> Strike Skiá (strike ski-ah) - Shadow Strike
> 
> Koíli siopí (ko-lee see-oh-pee) - Hollow Slience
> 
> Lykófos (lee-ko-fowz) - Twilight
> 
> Kókkino paratiritírio (ko-key-no par-ah-tee-ree-tee-ree-o) - Red Obsidian
> 
> Tanpron (tan-per-on) - Metal
> 
> Zaphos (za-foes) - Metal
> 
> Vangode (van-go-de) - Planet
> 
> Feltio (fa-lee-toe) - Planet
> 
> Vex[es] (veks[-is]) - Monster


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here's chapter 9!

** Chapter 9 **

Aleixo closed the door as he exited Xander's room, wanting to give the recently reunited father and son privacy. Sighing, he walked into the living room, wanting to take a break from this entire prophecy issue. He didn't remember the last time he felt so stressed about something. This whole unknown line was giving him an unsettling feeling like it was a ticking time bomb set to explode any minute.

When he entered the living room, his worries melted because there sitting on the couch was Apollo. Smiling at the presence of his best friend, he walked over plopping down beside him.

"Hey Ali. Long day?" The Sun God asked softly, looking at Aleixo.

The orange-eyed god rubbed a hand down his face. "Yeah. This prophecy is making me feel exhausted."

Apollo studied his friend realizing how tired he looked. "How about I put a movie on, and you just relax."

"M'kay," he replied, yawning.

Apollo got up putting in one of the many movies Aleixo had laying around. He turned the volume down, seeing as Aleixo looked as he was going to pass out. Setting down next to Aleixo, Apollo pressed play.

If he was being honest, Apollo didn't watch most of the movie. No, he was distracted by Aleixo, who by the middle of the movie had fallen asleep, curled up against the Sun God. How was he supposed to concentrate when his friend looked so adorable, snuggled up by his side? As if the God of Hope could hear his thoughts, Aleixo cuddled closer, using the Sun God's lap as a pillow. Apollo flushed slightly, and had to refrain from cooing, not wanting to wake him up from his peaceful sleep. Instead he opted for running his hands through Aleixo's unique hair, the silky black locks feeling so smooth between his fingers. Eventually, the sound of Aleixo's even breathing, and the movie in the background, lulled Apollo into a deep sleep.

~~~

Xander and Hermes walked out of his room, smiling. After a lengthy talk between father and son, they had finally caught up. Xander had told his father that he had made a mistake, and he wasn't truly mad at him anymore. He even told him about the promise he had made with Aleixo, to never forget his life as Luke. He had planned to keep a journal like he did when he was on the run, but he also decided to use his old name as an alias, something to make sure he never forgot who he once was.

Currently, Hermes and Xander were headed towards the living room, where Xander presumed Aleixo was. The Messenger God wanted to thank the other god for bringing Luke back. No matter what his son had done, he was still family, and you could never give up on family.

The two walked into the living room, and saw the television on. Xander raised an eyebrow at that, seeing that the God of Hope never watched anything. Walking towards the couch, he saw an adorable sight; Aleixo and Apollo curled together asleep. Smiling, he mentioned for his father to come over. Hermes looked at him questioningly and was about to ask, but Xander shushed him, gesturing at the two gods. Hermes turned his head, cooing quietly, before taking out a camera and snapping a picture. Gesturing that they should leave, Hermes put a hand on Xander's shoulder, flashing them into the god's temple.

Xander turned towards his father, smiling mischievously. "You're sending that picture to me, right?"

The god nodded, smiling at the photo. "They would make a cute couple."

Xander agreed wholeheartedly with that. "They would. Wonder how long it would take for them to get together." He mused.

Hermes contemplated that, thinking out loud. "Well I'm sure that Apollo is crushing on him, he always gets that lovesick look when he talks about Aleixo."

"And Aleixo is crushing on Apollo, big time," Xander interjected, remembering their conversation on the first day.

"Yet, they're both too oblivious to realize it." The God of Thieves added.

"So in that case, they would never get together, unless someone gives them a push." The blond demigod finished. At that thought, both son and father got a mischievous glint in their eyes. Looking at each other the two started plotting, thinking of ways to get the two to admit their feelings for one another.

~~~

Aleixo woke up early the next morning. Yawning slightly, he prepared to get up to then realize he was in a warm embrace. Turning his head slightly he saw Apollo, still asleep and holding him close. His face coloured, seeing the position he had fallen asleep in. Carefully, he removed Apollo's arms from around him, making sure he wouldn't wake up. Getting up from the couch, he walked into the kitchen, deciding that he was going to make some food.

Apollo woke up not long after to find Aleixo gone. Sitting up, he stretched his arms, smelling a sweet aroma coming from the kitchen. Poking his head into the kitchen, he saw Aleixo, humming to himself while making pancakes.

When the God of Hope spotted him, he smiled, beckoning the Sun God to sit at the table. "Good morning my _liakáda_."

Apollo obeyed, mumbling a 'morning' in reply to the other god. Aleixo finished making pancakes, placing a plate in front of Apollo as well as himself. The God of Hope sat next to his best friend, and the two just sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence for the time being.

As the two gods finished their pancakes, Aleixo broke the silence. "I'm going to head to Atlantis later today, but for now, I want to hang out with you."

The Sun God looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want to do today, then?"

Aleixo tilted his head, thinking. Eventually he just shrugged. "I don't know... how about you chose today?"

"Why don't we explore the mortal world?" He suggested, "I haven't been there with you yet."

Aleixo agreed, and the two gods set out into the mortal world.

~~~

Manhattan hadn't changed much since the last time Aleixo was here. Well, admittingly it had only been a couple of years, but it was still fascinating to see how much the mortals had advanced in that time. As always, the city was full of life, with people going about their daily routines.

Some people stopped to stare at the two gods, after all, the godly standards of beauty would put the mortal ones to shame. Both Aleixo and Apollo were considered very good looking in the godly world. Both gods stayed in their young adult forms, with the Sun God preferring to appear as a 24-year old, and the God of Hope liking to appear slightly older at 27. To mortal eyes, the two gods looked like supermodels. With Aleixo's unique beauty with golden-orange eyes and Apollo's sun-kissed skin, they were sure to turn more than a few heads.

Neither god paid much mind to the mortals, which was quite unusual for Apollo. The God of the Sun loved attention, and would usually flirt with the mortals around him, even if it was just for show. But with Aleixo around, he didn't even notice them. The orange-eyed god captured his attention without even trying, and he was able to hold it too. Even after 3000 years of not seeing each other, Aleixo still invaded his thoughts at every turn. The God of Hope was a man of his word, and Apollo trusted him with his life, immortal or not.

They journeyed around the streets of Manhattan for hours, before stopping in Central Park, deciding to sit by the pond. The two gods told jokes to each other, laughing about anything, really. Apollo just wanted to get his friend's mind off the prophecy, the war, and it worked. For the whole time, they were in Central Park, Aleixo didn't think of the war once, instead just focusing on Apollo. He noticed the little things like the way the other gods' sky-blue eyes lit up when he was rambling, and the way he would push his golden hair out of his eyes.

They probably sat there for a good hour, talking about the most random of things. Apollo was talking about how he would purposefully make bad haikus to annoy his sister when a voice rang out behind them.

"Lord Apollo?"

The voice was distinctly male, with a slight hint of confusion. The two gods turned around to see a 17-year-old boy, who had a striking resemblance to Poseidon. Aleixo looked at his brother stunned. Poseidon had many children, but none bore such a resemblance to the Sea God. The God of Hope was a great example of that. Like all of Poseidon's children, he had been born with sea-green eyes and tanned skin. Aleixo's eyes changed when he got his domains, and after spending so much time underground away from the sun, his tan had faded slightly. If you studied them closely, you would see that they had a similar face shape, but other than that? You wouldn't be able to see the resemblance at a quick glance. This demigod in front of him looked exactly like his father if he were to take on the form of a teenager.

Apollo grinned brightly at the demigod. "Hey, lil' cuz!"

"What... What are you doing in Central Park? And who's that?" Percy gestured to Aleixo who was studying him.

"This," He said, slinging his arm over the God of Hope's shoulder. "Is Lord Aleixo. Ali, this is Percy Jackson. And we're here because we have nothing better to do."

Aleixo smiled fondly at his best friend's antics. Waving at the demigod, he greeted him. "Hey little brother."

Percy stared at the god in shock. "Wait, you're a Son of Poseidon? Actually, hold on, how did you know I was your brother?" He was slightly suspicious, seeing that he has never seen the orange-eyed god in his life.

Aleixo sensing his suspicion, let his aura flood the area, helping the demigod to relax. "To answer your questions, yes I am your oldest brother. As for how I knew you were the Son of Poseidon, you look like a younger version of our father." He gave him a pointed look, which Percy had the decency to look sheepish at.

Percy tilted his head to one side, which Apollo realized was something Aleixo did as well. "Isn't Triton the oldest Son of Poseidon."

Aleixo shook his head. "Triton is the oldest son of the King and Queen of Atlantis, which reminds me, I need to go there after this, as well as the heir to the throne. I am the first Son of Poseidon, born during the Golden Age a few months after Zeus, and actually, before our father received the title of King of the Seas."

The demigod Son of Poseidon furrowed his eyebrows at his explanation. "I'm not the best at mythology or anything, after all that would be Annabeth, but how were you born a few months after Zeus if Kronos ate them?"

Aleixo looked sadly at the way his little brother said their grandfather's name. "I'm afraid that the myths aren't quite correct." The god got a faraway look in his eye, the same one he always got when speaking of his childhood. "The Golden Age was the perfect era, with the perfect King. Everyone was treated equally, no one ever felt excluded. It was the longest Age, lasting almost a billion years with the Titans appointed as the protectors of the Earth. Near the end of the era Kronos and Rhea had five children whom they raised to be perfect warriors, one day to take over the throne. The Titan King was a bit harsh at times, but he loved his children and always made sure they were happy.

"There were only five siblings for many centuries, but eventually Rhea was expecting a sixth child. At some point during that time our father fell in love with Eos, the Titan of Dawn. The two loved each other, and eventually, Eos was expecting a child. The two planned on raising the child together, with their entire family, both the titans and the gods.

"But as all pleasant things go, something went wrong. Gaea, who had been sealed by Lady Chaos just before the Golden Age started, stirred in her sleep. After many years of trying she finally managed to possess her youngest son. She wanted to rule Earth for herself and saw the gods as a threat to that. Using her son's body she tricked the five siblings into taking on a younger form and then forced Kronos to eat them, seeing as she thought that would eliminate the threat. Rhea realized what was happening and started thinking of a plan to dispel their mother from her husband's body. She went to Eos and told her what happened, telling her to raise the baby with the titans in secret and under no circumstance should she ever reveal the baby to their mother.

"The myths were pretty accurate for what happened after Rhea gave birth, but what the myths never got anything on was the last god born in the Golden Age. Eos gave birth to a baby boy a few months after Zeus was born. The baby was raised with the 12 original titans, minus Kronos, as he was possessed. He was taught how to use blades, preferring the twin blades the titans gifted him on his first birthday. Eventually when the war started between the gods and the possessed titan, he fought on the front lines, trying to get through to his grandfather.

"It almost worked too. His grandfather gained control every once in a while, but it wasn't enough. He eventually told his first-ever grandson that they would have to kill him. He didn't want to, but that was the only choice. By killing Kronos they dispelled Gaea, finally setting Kronos free, and Gaea back to sleep." He finished sadly.

Percy listened to the god, thinking that everything he ever knew was a lie. If Kronos was possessed by Gaea in the first Titan war, did that mean he was possessed this time too? He didn't want to even consider that, it made things very complicated.

"What are your domains?" He asked, changing the subject to a happier one.

Aleixo smiled slightly, appreciating his brother's tact. "I am the God of Hope, Balance, Time, Liquids, and Heroes."

Percy leaned towards the god, interested. "You're the god of Heroes?" At Aleixo's nod he continued. "Does that mean you can help heroes without breaking Ancient Laws then?"

Aleixo pressed his lips together, understanding what he was trying to say. "While I can help heroes, I cannot be everywhere at once. About 3 thousand years ago, a bounty was placed on my head by Zeus. So for that amount of time I was invisible to the godly world, instead, fighting on the mortal side of things. As for the prophecies you have experienced, I was off the planet, helping heroes on Zematu. I just returned very recently."

There was a silence for a bit before Percy spoke again. "Is it hard knowing you can't help everyone?"

Aleixo nodded, knowing exactly what his brother was feeling. "It is. Sometimes I have to choose between two people, and it's never an easy choice. My domain is demanding, but I can't be everywhere at once." He looked towards his brother. "But recently, I remembered that I don't have to do it alone. Artemis helps with female heroes on Earth, the mortals help each other. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help. You may not be able to save everyone alone, but anything is possible with friends."

Percy looked at the God of Hope, realizing he hit what he was getting at, spot on. "Do you ever ask for help?"

"Of course. A few days ago I chose my first ever champion. Someone who will help me aid the heroes of the universe." He said softly, before getting up. "I need to head to Atlantis now, but if you ever want to talk again, all you have to do is ask. After all, family helps each other."

As he faded into mist, he saw Apollo's smiling face, as well as a soft 'Thank you,' fading into the background.

~~~

Aleixo was swimming through the ocean in the direction of Atlantis. The mortals had truly damaged the water's beauty with pollution. On the surface, most waters looked dull and off-colour, but the deep seas have not been ruined yet.

Aleixo had not been to Atlantis in the entire time he was gone, afraid he would blow his cover. It was hard enough to pass as a mortal with his brightly coloured eyes, but to be able to pass as an Atlantean? It would have been impossible.

The God of Hope neared the entrance to Atlantis, spotting his old friend, Delphin, as well as a few Atlantean guards. As he approached them, the guards took notice, stopping him.

"Halt! State your business."

Aleixo adorned a mock hurt expression, placing a hand to his heart. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me Delphin. I'm hurt."

The God of Dolphins took a closer look at the man in front of him. Studying him, he realized who was standing before him. "Lord Aleixo?"

The orange-eyed god grinned at his friend. "The one and only."

"I wasn't aware that you were back, Lord Aleixo." He said while gesturing for the guards to stand down.

Aleixo waved off the formality. "Now, now. Just Aleixo is fine. You know I don't like formalities, especially among friends."

Delphin smiled, glad to see that even after so many years, somethings just didn't change. "Of course. Would you like me to accompany you to the throne room?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble for you."

The god shook his head. "Of course not. Someone has to make sure you don't get lost. Atlantis has changed much in your absence."

The two gods swam towards the throne room at a steady pace, allowing Aleixo to admire the changes to the city. Atlantis had expanded in the time the god was away, now being almost as large as Olympus. As they approached the throne room, the Dolphin God announced their presence.

They split here, with Delphin going back to his duties and Aleixo entering the throne room. Inside sat Poseidon and Amphitrite on their thrones. The orange-eyed god bowed his head as a sign of respect for the King and Queen of the seas.

"Father. Lady Amphitrite," He greeted.

"Aleixo!" Poseidon exclaimed, glad to see his eldest son. "You finally decided to visit Atlantis!"

The God of Hope smiled tiredly. "I thought it would be a good way to clear my mind, Atlantis always seems to do the trick."

Poseidon had a look of understanding on his face, but Amphitrite adopted a look of worry. She knew her stepson always liked to be composed. So for him to look like he was mentally exhausted, was concerning.

You would think Amphitrite and Aleixo wouldn't get along the best, after all, the God of Hope was born to her husband by another woman. But the Queen of the Seas did see reason. Aleixo was born long ago, by someone her husband loved at the time. He was not the result of an affair, and any romance between Poseidon and Eos died when she faded.

Aleixo and his stepmother got along great, for two immortals. Although, he would never call the Queen of the Seas 'Mother'. Amphitrite asked about it once, and he had explained it as the fact that Eos would always be his mother. She raised him. He had nothing against her, it was just that the term 'Mother' would always allude to Eos, as a memory of the woman who raised him. The Queen of the Seas understood that. She knew that family meant everything to the other god, it ran in the blood of the sea, and that it was not to spite her.

"What's got you so stressed?" Amphitrite asked, concern lacing her voice.

Aleixo looked at the goddess, offering a weak smile. "The prophecy, it's driving me crazy. This is the first prophecy in a long time where I cannot predict the outcome."

The Queen of the Sea was about to ask if there was anything she could do to help, but before she could Aleixo continued to speak.

"Let's talk about this another time." He begged. "I need a distraction."

Amphitrite gave him another worried look but dropped the subject. Instead she suggested that they tour Atlantis, which Aleixo eagerly agreed to.

The three gods walked through Atlantis, talking with civilians and admiring the city. They spent the time to catch up, with Aleixo explaining what he had been doing for the last 3000 years. The rulers of the sea were slightly surprised at the fact that Aleixo fought in the wars but quickly dismissed it. Both gods knew that as long as he can he would protect the Earth, whether it was his job or not. It was something his mother had taught him; the way of the titans. The titans were sworn to protect Earth, their eternal duty given to them by Chaos. The younger generations of titans forget this, and most gods never knew it to begin with. The titans taught Aleixo to be a warrior, yes, but most importantly they taught him to defend. To continue what they could not; to guard Earth.

Sometime during their walk, Triton joined them. The two brothers always had a good relationship. Whenever Aleixo would reside undersea, the two would hang out. Sure they fought every so often, but they would always forgive each other because in the end they were family. Aleixo helped raise Triton, always there like an older brother should be. This resulted in them being really close, and even with their duties as gods, they always found time to see each other.

The four were laughing about a story the God of Hope told when a melodic voice interrupted them. "Lord Aleixo, you have aIris Message from Chiron."

Aleixo frowned at the Rainbow Goddess' use of 'Lord', but responded. "Send it through, please."

"Alright." A rainbow appeared, showing Chiron, standing next to a blond camper. The camper, who Aleixo deduced to be a child of Apollo, looked panicky, something that the god picked up on.

"Sorry for interrupting my Lords and Lady," Chiron said with a slight bow, he had a serious look in his eye, one that had Aleixo worried.

"It's fine. It's something wrong?" The orange-eyed god questioned, concern shining in his eyes.

The old mentor looked directly at Aleixo, jaw slightly clenched. "There's an attack at camp."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> So Aleixo has finally met Percy and visited Atlantis. And you got some history. And there's the first major cliffhanger of the story. Honestly, I like cliffhangers because it gives me an idea on how to start the next chapter, but cliffhangers are harder to write then I thought.
> 
> Right, so Zeus is older than Aleixo but barely. In this story, Zeus is actually much younger than his five siblings. I had to make Poseidon having a child in the Golden Age make sense somehow.
> 
> Percabeth exists in this world, but I won't be writing any scenes for two reasons. One, this is Aleixo's (and Apollo and Xander) story, not Percy and Annabeth's. They won't appear enough for it to be prominent. Two, I can't write Percabeth. I don't have a problem with the ship, but I prefer Percy to be shipped with others, so that's that.
> 
> Okay, the next chapter might be late because there will be the first-ever fight scene. I have never written a fight scene before, so if it's terrible... sorry. Anyways I will be spending some extra time writing it so if there's no update on Sunday, that's why.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)
> 
> Xander (zan-der) - Protector
> 
> Zematu (Za-mat-oo) - Planet


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but here it is the first fight scene. Quick warning, this is the first one I have ever written so feedback would be appreciated! Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

** Chapter 10 **

Chiron gazed over camp, watching the campers train and interact. He hadn't told any of the counsellors about the prophecy just yet, wanting to give them peace for as long as possible. They were children, children who were forced to grow up too quickly in a world where it was expected of them. He wanted to hold off telling them until it was absolutely necessary.

But of course, he jinxed it.

An Apollo camper on border patrol ran up to him, eyes wide. "Chiron, there are hundreds of monsters headed towards camp."

Chiron grimaced, knowing that this would have happened sooner or later. Making a rainbow, he threw a drachma in, requesting to see Aleixo. The god appeared in the rainbow a few seconds later, the entire royal family of Atlantis with him, he was smiling, but you could see the concern in his eyes.

The old mentor bowed slightly, more of a habit than anything. "Sorry for interrupting my Lords and Lady."

Through the Iris Message Aleixo waved off the apology, seeming not too bothered by the interruption. The god seemed more concerned about the reason he contacted him than the fact that they were in the middle of something. "It's fine. It's something wrong?"

Chiron looked grimly into the Iris Message. "There's an attack at camp."

He didn't elaborate, knowing Aleixo would understand what he was referring to. As expected, the god's golden-orange eyes widened, showing his shock. "What!? Who's leading the attack?"

Chiron turned to the blond camper next to him, silently telling him to give Aleixo the details. Luckily, she understood and began reciting what she knew.

"There are about 300 monsters heading towards camp. A mixture of all types of monsters, though there are some that I don't recognize. There is a Manticore among them, though I don't think he's leading the attack. There is a large figure at the front of the charge, I believe he is a giant, but not sure which one." She then went on to give a short description of the giant, hoping it would be of use in identifying it.

Aleixo cursed under his breath muttering something incoherent. Looking back up at Chiron he said, "Have the campers in position to defend. I will take care of the giant personally, but the monsters the campers will have to deal with while I'm busy. I will be there in a minute, be prepared."

Chiron nodded and the God of Hope cut off the message. Chiron sighed, but blew the coach horn three times, signalling an attack.

~~~

Aleixo turned to his family undersea, a sad look on his face. "Looks like we have to cut this meeting short."

His family looked worriedly at him, his reaction to who was leading the attack was slightly alarming.

' _Then again,'_ Poseidon thought, _'if it's him...'_

"Do you need any assistance?" His father asked, wanting to help out if he can.

Aleixo pressed his lips together. "Honestly? I don't know. If it's who I think it is leading the attack, then we might be in a little trouble."

Hesitantly Triton asked the question the other gods have been wondering. "Who do you think is leading the attack?"

"Eurymedon."

Poseidon sucked in a sharp breath, pressing his lips into a tight line. That was worse than he thought. "That is more than a little trouble, son. Eurymedon was hailed for the destruction he brought, he didn't even fight in the second Gigantomachy."

"I know." He said hollowly. "Which is what makes me worried. The first attack tests the defences, and if this is her first attack..."

He trailed off, but the gods knew what the unspoken words were. Aleixo shook his head, clearing it. He looked at his father giving him a message.

"I'm heading to camp. Please inform the council of what is happening." He started to flash out, but before he completely disappeared, he shared one last look with the elder god, an understanding passing between them.

" _The war has officially begun."_

_~~~_

Aleixo arrived right outside the border, quickly spotting Gaea's army. As the Apollo camper said, there were many monsters most of which were your common everyday monsters. Some were quite rare, like the Minourtor or the Chimera, but what caught his eye were the Vamplings.

Aleixo narrowed his eyes at the sheer number of monsters. There was an unusual amount for a first strike. The Vamplings were also an issue, considering they weren't supposed to be on Earth. The fact that Gaea managed to gather so many forces so quickly was a sign that she had planned this for longer than he realized.

Looking for the lead, he spotted the giant Eurymedon, as he suspected. He was at the back being shielded by the forces, but it was still clear to the God of Hope that Eurymedon was leading.

The campers gathered behind Aleixo, slightly surprised that he was here, but were ready to defend their home. Seeing this, Aleixo let his aura spread, giving the campers a confidence boost.

"Attack the monsters." Ordered Aleixo. "I will deal with Eurymedon. Don't get caught by the Vamplings, which are the monsters that look like a short vampire with black skin, red eyes, and wings, their fangs are lethal."

With that the campers let out a war cry, charging into the monsters, leaving destruction in their path.

Aleixo brought out Twilight and Reb Obsidian, slashing through the army. Any monster that stood in his way was decimated, his blades cutting through them like butter. The god headed straight towards Eurymedon, knowing that he would have to kill him for the defending side to be successful. Aleixo neared the Giant, deciding that he would need to rile him up.

"Look at the mighty King." He taunted. "Hiding behind some lowly monsters."

Eurymedon's face turned red, in anger looking down at the god. "YOU DARE MOCK ME." He bellowed. "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I AM THE MIGHTY EURYMEDON!"

Aleixo smirked, knowing that his plan was working. "Yet, here you are, afraid of a little god."

The Giant King roared in anger. "YOU WILL DIE." He pounded his fist towards the ground, seeing to smash the God of Hope.

Aleixo dogged his first strike, using his superior speed and agility to get away from the giant. Eurymedon may be stronger than the god when it came to blunt force, but Aleixo knew he was faster than the giant.

The god used the time Eurymedon needed to recover to grow in size, matching the giants at about 14 feet. Idly, Aleixo wondered why the Giant King wasn't in his 40-foot form, the form most giants stay in. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind he focused on the fight. Eurymedon had recovered and was looking right at him.

The giant swung his fist at the god, but Aleixo easily avoided it. Scanning his stance for an opening, the God of Hope was surprised to find one. The god sped towards the giant, slashing at his unprotected side at the arm he swung his fist. The Giant King blocked with a piece of earth he picked up from his first strike.

Swinging wildly, the giant threw the chunk like a frisbee, causing Aleixo to duck so he wouldn't be decapitated. Taking the advantage, Eurymedon struck again, drawing first blood. The wound wasn't deep, but it was enough to cause golden ichor to leak out.

Aleixo quickly stood up again, blocking the next strike, before lunging at the giant. Eurymedon blocked Red Obsidian, but Twilight hit its mark, leaving a long gash on the giant's arm.

The fight continued, each trading blows, neither getting the upper hand. Wounds began appearing on both deities, but neither backed down.

Aleixo knew he would need to distract him to win. He might be a god but his stamina wasn't unlimited. Eurymedon was a giant, the Giant King. In a fight, he would last longer than any god, maybe even titans. The God of Hope wasn't arrogant enough to think that he would be able to defeat him if they continued to trade blows.

"Looks like you're losing your touch."

Eurymedon roared loudly, the sound vibrating through the area. "DIE PUNY GOD!"

The giant charged at Aleixo, which was exactly what he wanted. He stood still and at the last second sidestepped. Eurymedon couldn't stop his momentum, flying right by the god, giving him a chance to counter. Aleixo threw Red Obsidian like a javelin, the point going right through the giants back.

The Giant King screamed in agony, feeling the pain of his sword. Eurymedon did not disintegrate, of course, as a giant can only be killed with a god or a demigod. Aleixo was just about to bring out his symbols of power to temporarily disable the giant when a dagger embedded itself in the giant's forehead.

Aleixo turned his head towards the direction of where the dagger was thrown, as Eurymedon disintegrated. Behind him was a demigod in a familiar cloak, with a bird perched on his shoulder.

"Xander?"

"Hey, Aleixo. Lord Poseidon said you could use some help." Even though he couldn't see it, he knew the blond demigod was smirking.

Aleixo smiled mischievously at his champion. "Well now that you're here, why don't we kill some monsters, hmm? There are Vamplings here."

The two started going around killing monsters, Celosia aiding from the sky.

"Vamplings?" Xander cocked his head to the side, slightly confused. "Those exist on Earth?"

Aleixo shook his head, killing another monster. "They shouldn't be here, but the Earth Mother seems to have managed to get some to assist her."

Xander hummed in acknowledgement but didn't say anything else. The two slashed through monsters together, like they have been doing it for their entire lives. The campers were wary of the newcomer at first glance, but seeing that he was helping them, calmed their nerves slightly,

Together with the assistance of Aleixo and Xander, they managed to defeat the first army. Though they knew it wouldn't be the last of them.

Aleixo shared a look with Chiron, knowing that they need to tell the counsellors now.

"Counselor meeting in the Big House in five minutes," Chiron called, receiving different shouts of acknowledgement in reply. He then turned to Aleixo and Xander. "I assume you will be joining us?"

Xander just looked at Aleixo, unsure if he was to join the meeting.

"Yes, we will."

The Centaur gave a single nod and turned, heading towards the Big House.

~~~

When Chiron left Aleixo turned towards his champion. "I will be introducing you as Xander. Whether you reveal to them your real name or not is up to you."

Xander bit his lip, not exactly sure what he should do. On one hand, he wanted to come clean, admit who he was and apologize. On the other hand, he was scared. Scared to tell the people who he betrayed who he was. He didn't want to be treated like the outsider, even though he deserved it. This was his chance to start fresh, anew, and not make the same mistakes he did last time.

Aleixo as if sending the conflict he was having internally, softened his gaze. "Choose whatever should make you the most comfortable. I will support your choice no matter which it is."

The two stood in silence for a while, Xander pondering the choice. "I- I think I won't reveal my name just yet. I don't think I'm ready to deal with the questions yet." He swallowed, hoping it was the right choice.

Aleixo smiled at him. "Alright then. Let's head to the Big House now. I want to make sure we have enough time to set up an awesome entrance for you."

Aleixo vapour-traveled to the Big House, smiling cheekily at Xander while doing so. The blond demigod rolled his eyes at his patron's flair for melodramatics, but smiled widely and vapour travelled after him.

~~~

When all the counsellors who were at camp arrived, Chiron nodded at Aleixo expectantly, knowing fully well that he wanted to introduce his friend first.

"Okay!" Alexio said, clapping his hands together. "Before we start I want to introduce you to someone."

There were murmurs around the room, wondering if he was going to introduce them to the mysterious figure that was fighting. As they quieted down, he continued in a game host voice. "Please welcome," a drumroll sounded, "the man, the myth, the legend, and my champion... Xander Karan!"

A man dropped down from the ceiling into a crouch, making the counsellors wonder where he was hiding. The man was wearing a cloak, similarly to Aleixo, and looking at the ground. When he stood up, he looked at the campers, causing some of them to gasp.

The man was undeniably handsome. The hood of his cloak was down, revealing the sandy blond hair that sat on top of his head. The top half of his face was covered by a beautiful golden orange masquerade mask. The mask had engravings and covered the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a pale blue, and he had a darker tan than the god next to him. He looked almost as old as the form Aleixo had chosen to take, and he had a sharp jaw-line. He was smiling a bright, but mischievous smile, one that would make both girls and boys swoon. The man held out his arm and a large Phoenix perched on it, standing strong.

"Pleased to meet you." His voice was deep, almost soothing to listen to.

Xander grinned at some of the looks he was getting. He was glad that Aleixo had given him the mask as it just covered his scar, so none of the campers got suspicious. He didn't look as friendly with his hood on, but the mask concealed his identity and was much more appealing to look at. The mask was enchanted to distort his voice ever so slightly. It wasn't so much that it sounded unnatural, but it was different enough that you couldn't make an obvious correlation between Xander and Luke.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes slightly at his voice. He sounded vaguely familiar, almost as if she had heard him speak before. She stored this new information at the back of her mind, knowing that this was not the time to question his identity.

The cabin counsellors introduced themselves, one by one. Xander gave a charming smile to each of them, making note of the names he didn't recognize. He was glad that Percy had kept his promise, to honour all the gods. There were more cabins now, and he saw that the old unclaimed campers were now claimed. He had to admit it felt good to be back at camp. He might have forsaken it when he joined Kronos, but it was still his home for many years.

Once the introductions were done, Aleixo mentioned for Chiron to explain what was going on with the prophecy. Xander was only half-listening, having heard this from his patron a few days ago. He instead took the time to study the counsellors. Some of the seats have not changed from before he died. Clarisse was still the counsellor for cabin 5, Connor and Travis had taken his spot, Miranda was still here during the winter, and Annabeth was still the head counsellor for cabin 6.

The rest of the seats were different, though none were unexpected. Looking around he realized many of the seats were empty. The spots for cabin 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10 had no one sat in it. Cabins 2, and 8 made sense; Hera had no demigod children and the Hunters weren't at camp right now. But the other ones? Aleixo had told him of Jason Grace, Thalia's brother. He would have been the cabin counsellor for cabin 1. Percy should be the counsellor for cabin 3, but where was he? The other cabins have more than one demigod in it, so they should have a chosen counsellor, even a temporary one.

He made a note to ask about it later, zoning back into the conversation happening in front of him.

"-re those monsters, you told us about before the battle started? A Vampling?"

Xander spoke up, deciding he should contribute to the conversation. "Vamplings are a species of vampires who feast on both blood and ichor. They have red eyes with black skin and wings and are about the height of your average 10-year-old. Their saliva is venomous, and any amount of it into your bloodstream is deadly. They are very quick and agile, making them very hard to escape from."

Some people jumped, not expecting Xander to speak.

"How come we have never had to fight them before?" The cabin counsellor for the Hecate cabin, Lou if he remembered correctly, asked.

"Vamplings do not reside on Earth. While demigod blood and ichor are empowering for them, 100 percent mortal blood is repulsive. They can not survive off it. They might have existed here long ago, but have gone extinct on Earth." He was glad that he could recall all that information from the book Aleixo had given him to study. At first, he had whined about it but soon realized that it was essential information that he needed to know.

"Why are they here then?"

This time it was Aleixo who answered. "I believe it is Gaea's doing. She probably recruited some to help her fight. I don't think Vamplings will be the only otherworldly monster that will appear in this war." He said grimly. "On that note, I will need to go to Olympus after this. Is there anything else you will like to ask?"

No one said anything, but just before Aleixo could dismiss them, Xander spoke up. "Actually, I have a question." The God of Hope turned to his champion expectantly. "Where are all the other counsellors? Like a third of them are missing."

Aleixo made an 'ah' sound. "Most of them are at Camp Jupiter." When he saw Xander's confused look, he clarified, "The Roman Camp, the hunter will be informed by Artemis, as for Percy..."

Aleixo paused looking at Chiron. "I trust that you will be informing him? He isn't at camp now."

Chiron nodded. "I will be sure to inform him."

The orange-eyed god smiled. "Anything else?" When nothing was voiced he continued. "Okay then, dismissed."

The campers all filed out, leaving Aleixo with Xander and Chiron. Turning towards the old mentor, he said, "I will be going to Olympus now to talk about the latest attack. I trust that you will be informing those who were not present during this meeting?"

"Yes, I will be." He informed him.

"Great! Keep me updated if anything new happens." Aleixo then turned to his champion. "You can stay at camp if you like."

"Should I not go with you?" Xander questioned.

"Nah," he said, shrugging. "Unless you want to listen to gods yell at each other, I suggest you don't come with me."

Xander made a face at that. "Yeah, I think I'll stay here." He said quickly.

Aleixo chuckled at his reaction. "I'll be going now, you know how to get back." He said before fading into a fine mist.

~~~

The God of Hope reappeared inside the throne room, immediately regretting it. The Olympians were all gathered, but they were arguing. Loudly. He didn't even think any of them realized he arrived.

From what he could pick up from the various arguments around the room, Poseidon and Zeus were arguing about Aleixo's direct interference, with Zeus attempting to deny the obvious problem that is Gaea. Most of the Olympians were trying to get Zeus to see reason, whether they like the God of Hope or not they could all agree that the Earth Mother was a serious problem.

Hades was rubbing his temples, seeing as all this arguing was giving him a headache, but it was obvious that he was ready to intervene if things escalated. Ares, as usual, was just cheering them on, liking war too much to help. Demeter was looking between the two brothers, kind of nervously. All 3 of the brothers were known for their explosive tempers, and if the arguing got turned into a fight, she was sure that Hades would back Poseidon, leading to a world wreaking war. Neither Aphrodite nor Dionysus were paying much attention to the fight, each deciding it wasn't worth their time.

The rest were all focused on getting Zeus to see reason, but to no avail. Zeus was stubborn, refusing to believe that Aleixo was right and that the Earth Mother was rising to her full power. Not even Athena and Artemis _combined_ seemed to work.

Despite what outside observers thought, Aleixo and Athena did not hate each other. They disliked one another, yes, but they could see the other's strengths and respect that. Athena and Aleixo were the same yet opposites which is what makes them disagree so often. Poseidon and Athena were sworn enemies, complete opposites who do not agree often. The value opposite things, with a minuscule overlap, knowing when it was necessary to put aside their differences. Aleixo was a perfect mix of the two, his personality and knowledge meshing in a perfect weave. They both love knowledge, never liking to get facts wrong, but the use of it is different. Aleixo seeks practical knowledge, things that he knew were useful to him. Athena wants to know everything, hating to not know something. Neither liked to be one-upped, but Aleixo knew when to admit he was wrong.

Aleixo sighed softly, shaking his head. Looking around the room he spotted Hestia, tending to the hearth, seemingly unbothered by the arguing in the background. He strolled over to the hearth, taking a seat next to the goddess, who smiled at him. It seemed quieter here as if the hearth's power was muffling the sounds of arguing. For a moment neither spoke, just enjoying the quietness the hearth brought.

"Hello, Auntie Hestia." The orange-eyed god, spoke quietly as to not disturb the atmosphere that was created.

The goddess smiled warmly at him. "Aleixo, how are you today?"

Aleixo sighed tiredly, "Could be better, especially if the Olympians would stop arguing for once."

"Is your champion with you?"

The God of Hope shook his head. "No, I told him he should stay at camp, least he has to hear the gods arguing."

Hestia hummed in reply but didn't say anything else, going back to tend to the hearth. The two sat like that for a few minutes before Aleixo sighed again.

"I guess I should announce my presence now. Hopefully, this meeting goes well." He said, before snorting. When have council meetings ever gone well?

Aleixo stood up and walked to the middle of the throne room, before clearing his throat loudly, catching everyone's attention.

"Ahem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Here's chapter 10!
> 
> So sorry that this wasn't posted earlier, but I developed a sudden obsession with The Vampire Diaries and haven't been writing much. The next few updates might be a bit inconsistent, cause I need to get back into a writing groove.
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter is sorta a filler. I mean there is some interesting stuff, but it will mostly be a sneak peek into the past.
> 
> Also, Eurymedon may seem a bit underpowered. Well he's not, it's just that Aleixo is powerful.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Xander (zan-der) - Protector
> 
> Xander Karan (zan-der care-an) - Protector of the Pure
> 
> Vampling[s] (vamp-ling[-s]) - Monster
> 
> Celosia (cee-lo-sha) - The Burning Flame


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I would just like to thank everyone who has favourited, followed, and/or left a review on this story. It means a lot. Anyways here's the next chapter!

** Chapter 11 **

Aleixo dragged a hand down his face. He was sitting by the cliffs again.

As he had expected, the council meeting had gone less than well. Nothing unusual happened; Zeus and Aleixo yelled at each other, Aleixo won the argument, Athena spoke with Aleixo half agreeing, held disagreeing. The usual. The only part of the meeting that Aleixo was pleased about was the fact that most of the gods knew of the otherworldly monsters. He probably would have flipped if they had forgotten that they existed.

Not much was done in the meeting, as Zeus flashed out in the middle, refusing to acknowledge just how large of a threat the Earth Mother was. No matter how much the Lightning God acted like a 5-year-old, he was still the king. The King needed to be present to continue with their plans.

Honestly, Aleixo didn't even know how Zeus was even the king. He was neither the oldest nor the wisest. Like seriously, who died and made him the king!? Well, Kronos died, but who made Zeus the king? If Aleixo remembered correctly, he was never even crowned as a prince, so he couldn't even be in line for the throne. Back in the Golden Age, the firstborn son would have been the heir, but in present times it would just be the oldest child; which Zeus is neither. Aleixo's memory is commendable, but he isn't old enough to know who was first in line for the throne. All he knows for sure is that it isn't the Lightning God.

He sighed, closing his eyes to listen to the beat of the waves under him. He wondered if everything would be better if Hestia had fought Zeus for the throne. Rightfully it should be hers, the oldest child of the King and Queen, but his Aunt was always a peaceful goddess, always wanting everyone to be happy. He was pretty upset when he found out that she had stepped down, for another one of Zeus' children at that. Don't get him wrong, Aleixo loved his cousin, but that didn't mean he was happy that Hestia gave up her position.

Like seriously, there were six children of Kronos and Rhea, and only four of them are on the council now? Hades was cast off Olympus as soon as Zeus declared himself king. It was actually what made them so close. Aleixo himself never liked Zeus, so he spent minimal time on Olympus. Back then, he often found himself exploring, until one day he ended up in the underworld. He was fascinated by the design of his Uncle's realm, deciding to walk around in it, admiring the designs. It was then that the two had officially met, and bonded through their mutual dislike for Zeus.

He smiled at the reminder of the past, the many days that Aleixo would spend in the underworld. The two would often rant about the stupid things the Lightning God did, and about the many affairs he had.

The God of Hope hated the fact that Zeus had so many affairs. He forced Hera to marry him, then constantly cheated on her. He never took the anger out on the Sky God's children, actually, he liked most of them, as they didn't choose who to be born to. Instead he comforted his Aunt, knowing that her husband constantly cheating on her must hurt, especially as she was the Goddess of Marriage.

Aleixo thought about all the time he was away and suddenly felt terrible. He wasn't able to help his aunt for so many years. Sure he had been away before, but it had never been for so long. Before the whole hide-from-the-Olympians-in-a-pit thing, the longest he had been away was a century.

He thought back to that time, it was very early on when he had finished exploring Earth and needed a change of scenery. Time ran differently in the universe, most of them running faster than on Earth. As the God of Time, he was aware of how much time passed instinctually. Although only a century passed on Earth, Aleixo knew that he was out there for a thousand, spending no more than a year on each planet. His favourite was the planet of Shabet, one of the more developed planets. On the planet lived fairies of all sizes, operating in a similar fashion to Earth. There were schools to teach young fairies magic, and jobs for them to do. The Queen ran the planet, making sure everything was running smoothly.

Aleixo had been to the planet many times over the years, especially on the day they crowned a new Queen. Fairies lived longer than humans, but still did not live forever. The average fairy lives to about 7000 years old, making their lifespan about 70 Earth years. The current Queen, Lorelei, was the youngest Queen to be crowned, but she did her job well, so no one complained.

The God of Hope was so lost in his memories, he didn't see Apollo walk up next to him, taking a seat on his left. It was uncommon for the orange-eyed god to be so blissfully unaware of his surroundings. After millennia of living, he had learned to always know who was around him; to never to let his guard down. This cliff was the _only_ place in the universe where he completely relaxed. Apollo was the only person in the entire world who was able to access the area, and he trusted him with his life.

The two gods sat in silence for a while, Aleixo still not noticing the added presence of his best friend. Apollo didn't interrupt his thoughts for a long while. He knew how much the orange-eyed god was stressing, and laying out his thoughts relaxed him.

"Hey Aleixo," He said softly, trying not to startle him. "Whatcha thinking about?"

Despite his efforts, Aleixo jumped, yelping. He turned to his side to see Apollo, watching him with a bemused expression.

"Don't do that!" He exclaimed, playfully hitting Apollo's arm. The Sun God smiled fondly at Aleixo. It wasn't every day that you got to see Aleixo act like he was a child again. Sure, it happened a lot when they were much younger, but Aleixo definitely matured since then.

"So what's got you so distracted?"

Aleixo hummed, "Just reminiscing about the past." Suddenly his eyes lit up, an idea popping into his head. "After this, I'm taking you exploring."

Apollo raised an eyebrow at his sudden excitement. "Where to?"

The orange-eyed god smiled widely. "Everywhere. I realized I haven't brought you around the universe yet. So after this, I'm taking you to see the most beautiful sights around."

"Really?" Apollo had always wanted to see the universe but had never had the time, nor means to. He knew Aleixo knew the ways around, but he never left Earth unless it was to help heroes. The Sun God was bursting with excitement, knowing that Aleixo adored some of the planets, wanting to see them for himself.

"Absolutely." He confirmed.

"Pinky promise?" Apollo turned his puppy eyes towards the God of Hope, a slight pout pulling at his lips, holding his pinky up.

Aleixo smiled at him suddenly feeling that they were young godlings again. He could never say no to that face when they were younger, and that was something that hadn't changed.

"Pinky promise." He vowed, wrapping his own pinky around Apollo's, both staring right into each other's eyes.

~~~

_Thousand of years ago..._

_Aleixo attached a bracelet to the younger gods wrist._

" _What is this for Ali?"_

_He smiled at him. "Every so often I will give you a charm to add on to the bracelet. See each one as a memory."_

_Aleixo took out a charm with two people watching the sunset. "This is the first one." He attached it to the bracelet. "When you see this charm, remember when we first met."_

_Apollo admired the charm on his wrist, before hugging Aleixo tightly. "Thank you!"_

_~~~_

" _Aleixo, Aleixo, Aleixo!"_

_The orange-eyed god opened his eyes groaning._

" _I'm up, I'm up." He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. Apollo stood next to his bed, leaning over it. "What's up?"_

" _You promised we could go to the park today!" He exclaimed, eyes gleaming in excitement._

_Aleixo chuckled at his best friend's eagerness. "I did, didn't I? Let's eat and then we can go."_

" _Okay! Ali." The Sun God ran out of the room towards the kitchen. Aleixo just shook his head fondly._

_~~~_

" _Wake up, Aleixo! It's Christmas!"_

_The god sat up yawning. "Is it morning already?"_

" _Come on! It's time for presents!" Apollo yelled, dragging his best friend into the main room._

_The orange-eyed god chuckled, allowing himself to be dragged along. "Alright, I'm coming."_

_Apollo pulled Aleixo right to the tree where there sat many presents. The younger god picked on up, and read the tag._

' _To: My liakáda_

_From: Aleixo'_

_He looked at his best friend, almost curiously. Aleixo just smiled. "Go ahead, open it."_

_Apollo tore open the present peering inside the box. Inside the box was a snow globe showing a scene. It looked familiar. Taking a closer look it was a memory of the first Christmas they spent together. When the scene finished playing, the globe shrank down, into a charm, the scene repeating._

_Apollo looked at Aleixo asking him to attach it to his bracelet. He smiled and started to explain. "The charm can expand back into the globe, you just have to imagine it doing so. When you will it to, it will return to your bracelet as a snow globe charm."_

" _I love it. Thank you Ali." He whispered, promising to cherish the memory forever._

_~~~_

" _5"_

" _4"_

" _3"_

" _2"_

" _1"_

" _Happy New Year!"_

" _Cheers to a new year, Ali!"_

_Aleixo smiled widely, "Cheers to a new year."_

_Apollo turned towards his best friend. "What's your New Year resolution?"_

_The orange-eyed god just shrugged. "I didn't think of one."_

" _What? Why?"_

_He looked directly at Apollo, absolute seriousness shining brightly in his eye. "Because as long as I'm with you, my life is perfect. There's nothing that needs changing."_

_~~~_

" _Happy Birthday, my liakáda."_

_The orange-eyed god held out a present to Apollo. It was a small box, so there was no mistaking what it was._

_Apollo opened the present and inside was another charm. This one was a cake, with his birth date printed on the edges, a single candle lighting the top. He attached it to the bracelet, which miraculously had gotten bigger to always fit his wrist._

" _This one is so you never forget when your birthday is. Most gods eventually do. The candle on the top will light up every year on your birthday."_

_Apollo nodded, looking at his bracelet. Over the years he had accumulated any charms, each one telling a story._

" _Now make a wish."_

_Apollo closed his eyes, wishing that he would never be separated from Aleixo._

_~~~_

" _Aleixo?"_

_The orange-eyed god hummed, acknowledging the question._

" _Will you always be here?"_

_The question startled him, it wasn't something he was expecting. "Of course. Why do you ask?"_

_Apollo turned to him, eyes shining with tears. "I- I don't want to lose you. You're my best friend... h-how will I ever live without you?"_

_Aleixo felt his heartbreak at what he said. Wrapping his arms around Apollo he whispered soothingly in his ear. "I will always be with you. Whether I'm right next to you or a million miles away, my heart will always be here, with you." He pressed a charm into his hand. "You see this charm right here? This represents the two of us. 'The Phoenix rises with the Sun.' Wherever you go, I shall follow."_

_Apollo pulled away from the hug, looking Aleixo directly in the eye. "Pinky promise?"_

" _Pinky promise."_

_~~~_

_Present day..._

Neither god returned to their usual homes that night, both opting to stay in the house by the cliff. The house wasn't big by godly standards but was very homey. The two friends spent the time before sunset playing games ranging from board games to video games. Aleixo won the strategy games most of the time, though Apollo did win a few. The God of Hope claimed that he genuinely lost, but Apollo had a sneaking suspicion that he went easy on him. After all, the Sun God would admit that he was nowhere near as smart as Aleixo.

Surprisingly, Aleixo got tired first deciding to go to bed early. It was strange, considering Apollo was usually the early-bird, while Aleixo was the night owl. The God of Hope was known for staying up for days at a time, studying information, refusing to rest until he came to a conclusion.

It was what made Apollo realize just how tired the Prophecy of Change made him. Sure, he realized that his best friend was less chirpy then normal, but he hadn't seen how badly it was affecting him. It made him feel guilty. Here was Aleixo being stressed to the core, and he was doing nothing to change it. He knew he wanted to do better. Aleixo had taken care of him when he was younger, always asking sure he was happy, it was time he returned the favour.

A wave of determination hit him. He would do anything in his power to help reduce Aleixo's stress. Absolutely anything. Even if it killed him. Because Aleixo wasn't just his best friend, he was his rock, his sanity, his _life_.

Aleixo was his _everything_.

~~~

Apollo stared at the bracelet around his wrist fingering the many charms attached to it. Many people found it strange that he wore jewelry, but he didn't mind. Mostly because it was Aleixo who gave it to him.

Sifting through the charms, he came to a stop on one of the oldest charms. It was the charm of family. The charm depicted the five of them, with Apollo in the center. Aleixo stood to his right, Poseidon on his other side, while Hestia stood to his left, Hades on the other end. He remembered what Aleixo had said to him when he gave it to him.

" _This one is for you to remember that we will always be here for you; no matter what."_

He looked at another charm, the one showing a sun and moon. Aleixo had given it to him telling him to always remember his sister because she was still his family, no matter how many disagreements they had. He used a metaphor stating that the sun and moon need each other like twins do.

" _The sun and moon are complementary; one cannot exist without the other."_

He looked through the charms once more, stopping at his favourite one. The charm that depicted the cliffside. The cliffs were always his favourite place because it was _their_ thing. It was something he didn't have to share with anyone. Gods were greedy, and he was no different. He didn't want to share Aleixo with anyone, he wanted him to be his. Forever. But he knew that wasn't possible, so he respected that. Aleixo had always had a big heart, and while he didn't like that he had to share it, he was thankful for what he had.

Sometimes he felt guilty for wanting Aleixo for himself, but could anyone really blame him? Aleixo was the representation of perfection, and Apollo would be a fool not to want him. Anyone would.

The charm depicted what was his; what he _didn't_ have to share and it was beautiful.

~~~

Apollo eventually went into the bedroom in the house, deciding it was time to go to bed.

Walking into his room he noticed a small box on his bed. Frowning he studied it. The box was about the size of a Kinder egg, not large, but not tiny either. On top of the box was a golden-orange bow tie and a note stuck to the top. Picking up the note he started to read the elegant handwriting on it, having a suspicion on who it was from.

' _Hey my liakáda,_

_I realized I missed so many opportunities to give you charms over the years, but I plan on making up for that. Here's the next charm, I hope you like it._

_Love, Aleixo"_

Suspicion confirmed. He picked up the box opening it to reveal a small gold pocket watch, with the encryption _'Time flies when I'm with you.'_ There were two hearts on either side and by the looks of it, it actually told the time. Smiling, he thought about it turning into a charm, and it shrunk to the same size as all the other ones.

Attaching it onto his bracelet, he put the note to the side-lying down on the bed. Eventually, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep, with Aleixo being the last thing on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Here's the next chapter!
> 
> Kinda a filler, I mean there isn't much plot to this one, but the next one will be better I promise. I just wanted to touch on the relationship between Aleixo and Apollo. Aleixo loves to shower Apollo with gifts and this bracelet it the most important one.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)
> 
> Shabet (shay-bit) - Planet
> 
> Fairy[-ies] (fair-ree [-s]) - Species
> 
> Lorelei (lore-a-lay) - Queen of Faries


	13. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12 **

Apollo, despite what others believed, did not fall in love easily. Sure, he had many children and he _did_ love the parents of said children, but he knew it wasn't true love. There were few moments in his immortal life where he had found someone he felt very strongly for.

He had not loved Daphne, not in the true sense anyway. His love for Daphne was the result of a poor decision on his part. He hadn't been thinking straight, his encounter with Eros being dangerously close to the day Aleixo had left. He had been upset, and afterwards had regretted his actions, thinking about what Aleixo would have said about such impulsive actions.

Cyrene, however, he did love. She was a brave woman who fought for what she thought was right. He had given her everything she could ever want and made her into a Queen. Yet, despite that, she still wanted to be free and hunt and Apollo respected that.

Even though there were people he had felt love for, he knew it would never compare to what he felt for his best friend. Aleixo would always be put in front of anyone and everyone on his list of priorities. The orange-eyed god held a special place in his heart. A spot that felt empty during the millennia he was away. At first, he wasn't sure what that spot was and tried for the first few decades to find a way to fill it, only to admit defeat, realizing that no one could ever replace the spot in his heart that Aleixo held.

It was like the final piece of the puzzle, fitting right in the center. No other piece could fit in its place. When the piece goes missing, a search far and wide is conducted, yearning for the satisfaction the completed puzzle gives. While the piece is gone, a temporary solution fills the space, but deep down it doesn't feel right. It isn't the right one, but it'll have to do until you find another.

The piece stays missing for years, the puzzle perpetually incomplete. It gets set aside, but never forgotten, hoping that one day the piece will turn up. Certain that it will turn up when you least expect it, it is still a shock when it does. On the most unexpected of days, it appears, showing up in the most unlikely of situations, but you are glad. The puzzle is finally complete.

The puzzle was Apollo's heart, and Aleixo was that final piece. The temporary solutions were the various lovers he had over the years Aleixo was gone. None of them felt right, but he needed the closure of being close to someone again; to fill the empty space Aleixo left in his departure.

He came back when he least expected it, saving him from Zeus' wrath. He knew he would return when the situation was most dire, but his jaw still dropped when he did. He filled the empty piece of his heart, at last, giving him a sense of completion that he hasn't felt in a long time.

~~~

_Apollo found himself in an unknown location, not sure what he was doing there. It was odd, he could have sworn he was just in the house by the cliffs. He tried taking a step, only to find that he couldn't move his legs._

" _What can you promise someone like me?"_

_Apollo whipped his head around, looking for the voice that spoke. The voice was gravely as if the owner hadn't spoken in forever. There was no one around him, the voice that spoke seemingly invisible. His surroundings didn't look to be anywhere on Earth, the planet almost a wasteland, fog covering the area._

" _Revenge."_

_A second voice spoke, this one distinctly female. She sounded familiar, almost as if it was someone Apollo should know._

" _A chance at vengeance to all those who have wronged you; those who turned you like this. They called you evil, the devil, crooked. It's time to show them the monster they created."_

_Apollo didn't understand what the second voice was going on about. Who created this monster?_

_The voice scoffed as if he found the suggestion ridiculous._

" _They didn't create me. My 'family' did." The word family was spat out like a curse. "I am already enjoying watching them suffer, why waste my time on people who evidently don't matter?"_

_The fog suddenly cleared. Apollo could now see someone far in the distance; their back turned to the god. From what he could make out, the person wasn't human at all. They had demonic wings, and what looked like chunks ripped out of their flesh. There were stitch marks all over their skin, with what looked to be a devil tail coming out of their backside. They had something coming out of the top of their head, looking torn, but it was too hard to make out what it was._

_The second voice laughed, a cruel, dark sound echoing through the realm. "Didn't create you? Where was the God of Heroes when you were being called names? Or when you were banished out of your home? He was nowhere to be seen, even when you cried out for help."_

_Apollo saw the other stiffen, the harsh words obviously getting to them. He was certain that the God of Heroes was Aleixo and felt the urge to defend his best friend. His own domains required a lot of attention, but not as much as Aleixo's. Being one of the oldest gods, his realms require his full attention, but even then he cannot be everywhere at once. He was certain that Aleixo didn't mean to ignore the pleas of help, he just had to pick and choose who to help at the moment._

" _He was far too worried for his precious Sun God." Apollo tensed, feeling the sarcasm pouring out of the woman's mouth. "He had no time for you, even though you needed it more."_

_That seemed to sell it for the first voice. Apollo could practically feel the anger coming from the other._

" _So join me, and you can take them both out. The God of Heroes who didn't spare you a glance, and his precious Sun God. Once I take back what is mine, you can destroy them, and watch them suffer in the same way you did."_

_Suddenly it hit him. That's who the female voice was. Gaea. She was gathering allies in the universe. He swallowed, this was bad. Whoever the other is was obviously powerful. The fact that she was trusting them to take down one of the most powerful gods in existence was troubling._

_The figure was nodding, agreeing with the Earth Mother. "Sold."_

_Even though Apollo couldn't see it, he knew Gaea was grinning evilly. "I need you to-"_

_Before he could hear any more, the figure turned around, looking directly at Apollo, before the vision faded to nothingness._

~~~

Apollo woke with a start, his dream still fresh in his mind. Gaea had found a new ally, one that was powerful; a monster of their own creation. He shivered when he thought about them.

When the figure turned to him, he got to see his face in all of its glory. He was obviously a Bereak, with his teddy bear-like features, except he didn't look like your average Bereak. His eyes were angry red sockets, seemingly glowing with never-ending anger. He didn't really have a nose, just two slits for breathing. His head was split open, patches of his flesh ripped out. He bore the symbol of the devil's trident on his right breast, and his ears looked like someone took a bit out of them, one of them perpetually on fire.

He didn't recognize the figure, but Apollo had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he should know them.

Getting up he stretched, anxious to speak to Aleixo on what he saw. It's what he always did in the past. His gift of prophecy was a handful, but with his best friend by his side, they were always able to figure it out.

Apollo walked to the kitchen where he was sure to find Aleixo. The orange-eyed god didn't like to get up early, but he always loved a good breakfast.

As expected Aleixo was sitting on the kitchen table, eating waffles. When he heard Apollo enter, he greeted his best friend with his usual cheerfulness.

"Morning, my _liakáda_!"

"Good Morning." He mumbled, lost in thought.

Seeing Apollo's unusual sombre mood, the smile dropped off Aleixo's face. He looked at the Sun God in concern.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Apollo took a deep breath. "Dream."

Aleixo's eyes widened in understanding, immediately moving to sit next to his friend, giving him a hug. "What was it?"

The God of Prophecy went on to describe his dream in great detail, not leaving anything out.

As he spoke Aleixo got more and more pale. He had a pretty good idea on who the Earth Mother had recruited. His suspicions were confirmed when Apollo described what the newly found enemy looked like.

Aleixo swore under his breath, catching Apollo's attention. "Do you know who that was?"

The God of Hope sighed. "Yes. That was a Bereak that goes by DareBear." He paused, thinking about what he should say about him. "He is pretty much a Bereak gone rouge. Very powerful, on par with some titans."

Apollo looked shocked at the new revelation. "How did he get so powerful?"

"Bereaks are powerful by default, the more powerful ones can be equal to a god in power. In the past Bereaks practiced their power to defend their home on Walloon, wanting to finish the never-ending battle for peace." Aleixo paused getting a faraway look in his eyes. "For hundreds of years, they fought, trying to regain control. Eventually, they won, driving all their enemies out of the planet, either too scared to return or slathered in the crossfire. After that, there was no need for them to learn to harness their powers anymore, so they ceased teaching it, frowning upon those who continued to practice it. Today, they believe peace is all they need, never harnessing their magic until their power slowly dwindles down, before becoming non-existent.

"DareBear was the most powerful Bereak born since the war ended; born to one of the original families. He was interested in the magic he possessed, so he studied it, eventually going so far to even learn the Latin alphabet. His parents despised him for that, constantly praising his younger sister and berating him." He shook his head bitterly. "They thought that he should be ashamed of his magic and the power he possessed and should seek to remain peaceful. Of course, he didn't listen and continued to learn in secret.

"One day his parents caught him casting magic, and cast him out of his home. He lived on the streets for a while using his powers to survive." He swallowed, before continuing. "He was on the streets for about a month, before someone else, a noble, caught him once more. He was to be brought to the king and executed in front of the entire population for being 'Violent'."

Apollo could practically feel the sarcasm his friend used. "How did he get out of the execution?"

"He fled, vowing to return one day, to torment the town and those who wronged him for the rest of eternity. And he managed it too. Bereaks are now almost extinct and he and his legacy lives on."

Apollo soaked up all the new information, feeling sorry for the Bereak. "How much of a problem will he be?"

Aleixo pursed his lips. "A lot. His power can be on par with a titan. If he plays his cards right he would be able to win against most gods."

The two gods sat in silence for a few minutes, both processing the first additional information they have gotten.

Aleixo was deep in thought. He knew that the Fates never revealed anything without reason. Heck, there were things that they wouldn't even tell _him_.

Idly he wondered if this was what they meant by 'consequences'. Aleixo wasn't naïve enough to think that requesting Kronos to aid them wouldn't have any repercussions. As the God of Balance, he knew best that every action has an opposite; every advantage has a disadvantage. By bringing back Luke Castellan from the dead to serve as his champion, he knew that another was back as well. One that wasn't going to fight on their side.

That was another thing he would have to watch out for. He didn't have a clue on who else was brought back. Oh, he knew someone would be resurrected before it happened, but he hasn't received any news that a soul was taken from the underworld.

He thought back to the newest named rival, DareBear. It was unlikely he would be the last one Gaea recruited, but he highly doubted any recruitments would have any relation to DareBear. DareBear liked to work alone, and usually kept to himself, choosing to do nothing but torment his people for the rest of eternity. Aleixo grew sad at what the young Bereak had become. DareBear was once an energetic little kid, who just wanted to explore and protect his little sister. He took all the punishments from their parents for her, and never let anyone lay a finger on her. Aleixo remembered watching little DareBear from a distance, helping in any way he could.

The God of Hope clenched his fists, remembering what had happened when he tried to interfere. It was right before DareBear was thrown out of his home. Aleixo remembered foreseeing it, and flashing right to the planet, knowing he couldn't change it, but at least could make his life easier. That was when he realized, the young Bereak couldn't even _see_ him. He would walk through him like the god was never there to begin with.

He tried multiple times, but when nothing worked he went to the Fates. He remembered angrily asking why he couldn't help. The response was cryptic but from what he understood, there was a being above them both who had set DareBear on a specific path. One that he was forbidden from changing.

Aleixo didn't think too much of it at the time, but now he wondered what would have happened if he was allowed to interfere? Would DareBear be as bitter as he is today? He also wondered how he never found it strange in the past. Higher beings almost _never_ interfered with the fate of a specific person. There weren't many higher than the Fates, to begin with, but which one was pulling DareBear's life strings? And more importantly, _why_?

~~~

_In a dimly lit room, a young man stood in front of his Mistress..._

The young man kneeled down in front of the woman, head bowed. He looked no older than 18, but you could tell he was at least partially immortal. He didn't dare look his Mistress in the eyes as he spoke.

"My spy tells me they have been informed, my lady."

She hummed in response. "Very well. Aleixo would have been stupid not to, especially after our first attack."

The woman had expected it after all. After so many years of the blasted God of Hope foiling her planes, she knew when to concede. Even she could admit that Aleixo was wise beyond his years, mind planning and scheming, working miles ahead of everything else.

She hated it. She hated how easily he could ruin her plans, and how effortlessly he commanded respect. His soldiers did not follow him out of fear, but loyalty and trust. Years ago she might have said how fear was better, but she knew better now.

It was why she hated Perseus Jackson from the second she met him. Out of all his half-siblings, he was the one who resembled the God of Hope the most. From the respect he commanded from the half breeds to his sway over the damned Olympian council, Perseus reminded her just a tad bit too much of his oldest brother. Neither backed down from a challenge and no matter how much the odds were stacked against them, they always seem to come out on top.

The difference was Aleixo was much smarter than the demigod. Even though she hated to compliment him, she could admit that Aleixo knew what he was doing. Perseus was a different story. He seemed to make the most foolish of decisions, but would always win as if the Fates favoured him.

' _Maybe they do,'_ She mused to herself. _'Maybe they saw the same similarities I did.'_

The two had been at odds since the very beginning, Aleixo always seemingly having the upper hand. This time, however, she was sure she would defeat him, once and for all.

"What's our next plan of attack?"

For a moment the woman didn't say anything, as if she were contemplating their next move.

Finally, she spoke. "Wait for them to retaliate. Gather as much information as you can. Specifically from Aleixo himself, or from his little lover."

The young man clearly disagreed. He wanted to see blood, to fulfill the promise he made before he died. "If they are such a big problem, why can't we just take them out no-"

His Mistress cut him off. "Foolish boy! You are not strong enough to take on a _minor god_ , not to mention one of the strongest gods!"

He flinched back at her tone, suddenly remembering who he was speaking to. He was bloodthirsty and was promised revenge against the gods. He was convinced that the gods had abandoned them and that joining arms with his Mistress was best for his people.

After all, it was she who had brought him back to life, to serve by her side once more.

He managed to stutter out a response, attempting and failing at sounding strong. "Y-Yes my Lady."

She made a motion with her hand. "Go on now. And do not fail me. Because if you do..."

The threat was left unfinished, but the young man got the point. Gulping, he bowed to his Mistress once more before fleeing the room.

He managed to stutter out a response, attempting and failing at sounding strong. "Y-Yes my Lady."

She made a motion with her hand. "Go on now. And do not fail me. Because if you do..."

The threat was left unfinished, but the young man got the point. Gulping, he bowed to his Mistress once more before fleeing the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> DareBear is a 100% original character and was created by myself and one of my friends. I am working on a way to display a gallery so anyone reading can see the images used as a reference.
> 
> Anyways any guesses as to who the mysterious young man is?
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Walloon (wa-loon) - Planet
> 
> Bereak (bear-ick) - Species


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So I know that it has been a while, but I promise that this story has NOT been abandoned or discontinued. I just procrastinate way too much and I haven't written a thing in like 3 weeks.
> 
> Anyways here's the newest chapter. It's a bit shorter than I would have liked, but a chapter's a chapter, right?

** Chapter 13 **

Aleixo was sitting in a section of the room containing the information on the Prophecy of Change. Everything that was once certain written within the barrier hidden from prying eyes laid out around him. He had spent the entire day reorganizing, separating the area even further, making new space for the unforeseen circumstance.

The prophecy was rewritten, a blank space for the final line. Next to it stood the original version, with all of its meanings and solutions written out. Nothing was certain anymore, the lines of the prophecy back to riddles. Any single change could affect everything, a fact Aleixo knew very well. Balance was a fickle thing, any tiny piece could throw the entire scale into an imbalance.

He drew up a new wall, filled with confirmed enemies and their threat levels. There weren't many at the moment but it was still wise to lay out everything that was known. Aleixo layed out a spot on the wall to represent the resurrected soul. He was certain that they would be fighting on Gaea's side. Xander had joined theirs, so whoever else was let through would join the other; it was balanced.

DareBear stood at the top of the scale on Gaea's side. There were no confirmed titans nor primordials that were sure to side with the Earth Mother. The Olympians side was a bit more messy. There was no guarantee what gods would stay loyal. Aleixo knew how much the minor gods wanted recognition, and this was a stellar way to gain it. There was also the situation with the titans and primordials he had asked to aid him. While they were on their side, they couldn't interfere directly.

Aleixo sighed, looking around at the various drawings and diagrams. He was uneasy and for good reason. This was the first time in a long while where he knew absolutely nothing for certain. Sure he knew the meaning of the previous prophecy lines, but that was it. The old lines of the prophecy had no meaning anymore, they were just riddles. The lines may have not changed but the final one had. All the lines were interconnected, the old meanings being nothing more than a clue.

The orange-eyed god studied the lines once more. Aleixo may have loved a good mystery, but that was when lives weren't at stake. He often found joy in solving murder mysteries, but that was different. If he failed at solving a mystery, nothing would happen. If he failed at deciphering a prophecy, on the other hand, there was a high chance everyone he loved would die, and the empire he helped build would be destroyed.

Sure, he often ranted and raved about how he hated how Zeus ruled, but that didn't mean he wanted to see it crumble. He helped build the foundation and raise the kingdom, and he would be damned to just watch it be destroyed.

~~~

Aleixo walked through a dense forest, eyes flickering left and right, analyzing his surroundings. The Olympians had just had another meeting, discussing the increased activity in areas sparse in population. Demigods, nymphs and satyrs had reported high amounts of unusual monster activity. Zeus had sent out his best to check out the different areas.

Aleixo, of course, was not a part of that. No matter how many council meetings he crashed, he wasn't an Olympian, and Zeus could not order him around. Yes, Zeus was still his king and therefore his superior, but his words and orders have just about as much effect as it did on his siblings. And the Lightning God knew it. At some point, he just gave up and just opted to ignore Aleixo when he was in the room.

However, that didn't mean he wasn't curious. Aleixo had been alive long enough to know that monsters only ever grouped up in large bunches when they had an immortal commander. They just weren't wise enough to realize that they attack more effectively when they work together. So to hear about them scheming together sounded remarkably like Gaea's work, and he knew he would have to evaluate it for himself.

So here Aleixo was, speeding through a forest looking for clues while heading to the epicentre of the activity.

It wasn't long before a sound stopped Aleixo in his tracks. The noise was loud and even joyish. So much so that it almost sounded like a village, with what he perceived to be laughter and metalwork.

He sped up quickly approaching the sounds, but still staying out of sight. What he saw was nothing like he was expecting.

The entire area was surrounded by a barbed wire, giving it a prison look. The building in the center was made of stone and was clearly man-made. There were dozens of guards all around the outside, seemingly a mix of humanoid monsters, but even that paled in comparison to the number of monsters casually roaming the yard.

From the god's position, he could see hundreds of monsters, most of which were from foreign planets. They all seemed to be getting along, even if they didn't seem to be speaking the same language. There were even a few vexes, which Aleixo had no idea how Gaea got considering they don't take orders from anyone. He could see some training against each other, using their unique abilities against each other. It was highly reminiscent of the demigod camps.

Even with all the monsters, and disturbing resemblance to the camps, it was not what caught his eye. On top of the building, there was a single figure. He could tell it was a woman, most likely a goddess or titaness by their larger than human form. She sat on a small throne in what seemed to be a 10-foot form, watching over the land as if it was her kingdom, and the monsters her people.

Aleixo evaluated the woman, trying to identify her to no avail. She was too far away and didn't have anything that was an immediate giveaway. She looked like any average outline of an immortal, albeit what looked to be a small crown sitting on top of her head.

Aleixo studied the scene for another minute. There was no way he could take on all the monsters as well as the immortal by himself. There were just too many of them. He would have to come back at a later date with reinforcements.

As the God of Hope faded into a mist, he couldn't help but think that there was something oddly familiar about the women sitting on top of the building.

~~~

Aleixo reappeared in his house, deciding not to go to Olympus just yet. Yes, the monsters were a huge problem but he figured he would wait until the entire council was present to address the issue.

The God of Hope frowned at the thought of the council. While he had no problem with most of the Olympians as individuals, he held a major dislike for the council as a whole. The decisions they made over the years were a bit more than questionable. While he was present on Olympus he would make an effort to show up, or rather eavesdrop, at every meeting if only to make sure he could try to prevent decisions that were _too_ questionable.

He grimaced when he thought of when he was going to have to tell the council both of DareBear and of the army. They were not going to take it well, especially because most, if not all, of them, had never even heard of DareBear. He doubted they would believe him when he said he was a problem. After all, an immortal's greatest flaw was pride.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't realize he wasn't the only one in the room anymore. So when a voice called his name he startled.

"Aleixo?"

The god turned towards the door and saw Xander standing there looking slightly curious. He was sweaty and looked tired, so Aleixo assumed he had been training.

"Hello Xander," He greeted. "Done training?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just getting a drink. What were you thinking about?"

Aleixo raised an amused eyebrow. "What makes you think I was thinking about something?"

The blond demigod just gave him a look like it should have been obvious. "You didn't even notice me come in."

"True." The corner of the god's mouth twitched upwards but he relented, "Just thinking how the Olympians would react to DareBear."

Xander furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "But aren't you an Olympian? And who's DareBear?"

Aleixo shook his head. "No. I'm not an Olympian. No matter how many of their meetings I crash, and how much weight my word holds, I am not and will never be an Olympian." He paused before adding, "Nor do I want to be one. I like my freedom."

"Huh," Xander said, looking thoughtful. "The more you know."

"DareBear on the other hand is a rogue Bereak. His power can rival that of a titan, on a good day. You should be able to find more in that book I gave you."

Xander nodded taking in the information. He knew exactly what book the god was talking about. It was a large book containing information on the most dangerous people in the universe. For DareBear to be in it he must be very dangerous.

"Why would you need to tell the Olympians about him?"

Aleixo pressed his lips together, before speaking. "Because the Earth Mother seems to have been able to convince DareBear to join her in the war."

Xander looked shocked at the new information. "That's a problem, isn't it?"

The orange-eyed god just grimly shook his head. "You have no idea..."

~~~

Shortly after his conversation with Xander, Aleixo decided he was going to wait for Apollo to return on Olympus.

He decided to wait in Apollo's temple seeing he didn't have one of his own, that he knew of. He never really needed a temple having both the main house and the cliff house open to use. Plus if he ever wanted to stay on Olympus he had a permanent room in Apollo's temple.

He never really understood why the gods of Olympus liked temples so much. Like seriously, the temples were cool, but weren't houses much more practical? He had asked Apollo about it once, and the Sun God had admitted that he wasn't sure either, he just went with the flow.

It was the entire reason the majority of Apollo's temple looked more like an actual house. The only part that looked like what one would expect of a temple, excluding the exterior, was the entrance. The entrance was grand and, like the majority of the temple, shiny and gold. Actually, the entire temple had a gold theme, except for two rooms; Aleixo's room and the medical room. His room was designed to fit him more and Apollo said that patients wouldn't wake to bright colours.

Aleixo grabbed a cup of nectar from the kitchen. Whether he liked it or not, he still needed godly food and drink to survive. Sometimes he wished that he didn't have to eat or drink anything. It would save so much time, and could definitely be used to do something much more productive.

As he was drinking Apollo flashed into the room.

"There you are, Ali! Xander said you would be here." Apollo exclaimed, giving his best friend a hug.

Aleixo hugged him back. "Hello my _liakáda_ ," He said fondly.

Apollo pulled back a smile lighting up his features. "I haven't seen you all day! What have you been up to?" He looked genuinely curious.

"How about we take a walk and I'll tell you?" He suggested.

Apollo nodded. He didn't care where they were as long as he had Aleixo by his side.

~~~

The pair walked down the streets of Olympus, Aleixo adorning a huge smile. No matter how bad his moods were, Apollo never failed to put a smile on his face. They could have been discussing the end of the world and Apollo would still be able to make the God of Hope see the positive.

Apollo was like the light constantly at Aleixo's side, guiding him through the darkness that is life. The orange-eyed god was supposed to be able to find positive in any situation, after all, it was a part of his job. He was supposed to find something others can use as a sign of hope and if he couldn't, create it.

Something he always used to tell people was to anchor your hope onto something. If they didn't believe in themselves, then they should believe in their anchor. Aleixo could never lose hope. Not while so many others depended on it. So he anchored his hope onto his family, his main anchor being the Sun God.

Aleixo was undeniably very fond of the God of the Sun. They had been best friends for just about as long as Apollo's existence. Not many understood their dynamics, as their friendship was rooted much deeper than most realized. In fact, their friendship was rooted so deep that not even Aleixo realized how deep it was.

The orange-eyed god always knew that he felt a pull towards the Sun God. He never really understood why, but he knew he was meant to be by his side. He could almost physically feel the strings connecting the two together, and that feeling only grew stronger as time went on. He had always thought that this feeling was because Apollo was his counterbalance, but as time went on, he realized that it couldn't be.

Counterbalances always had a love-hate relationship with one another, but he and Apollo didn't have that. They held absolutely no hate towards one another, and after a bit of observing, it was clear that Apollo's counterbalance was his twin sister.

His own counterbalance was hard to say, but it was more than likely Athena, with them constantly fighting, but in the end, don't outright hate each other. Even with their similar love for knowledge, Athena fit the role rather well.

But none of this explained Aleixo's connection to Apollo.

And while Aleixo had a much better understanding of how their friendship came to be, this was something he didn't even know. There was always a reason the Fates refused to show Aleixo's string to him. While he never really thought much of it, there was a very specific reason. One that was so important that he wasn't even allowed to know, otherwise the timeline may cease to exist. Apollo and Aleixo's strings have been intertwined with each other since before Apollo was even born. If either would have known of this, it would change everything, and that just wasn't worth it.

~~~

_A woman watched from a distance not once noticed..._

A woman stood in the shadows on Olympus watching the two gods interact. She glared heatedly at the Sun God, but to no avail.

No one ever seemed to notice her always watching.

She was undeniably jealous of the god, always at the center of Aleixo's attention. Ever since the god was born, Aleixo adored him. No one ever understood why. He would spend hours, just in his company, sometimes even disappearing with him for multiple days. She didn't get what made the Sun God so special. Sure he was Olympian, but so were 11 other gods, none of which seemed to get the same amount of affection as Apollo, the only ones coming close were his father and aunt.

When he was around the God of Hope never seemed to notice anyone else. Tartarus, she would bet that as long as Apollo didn't say anything, he wouldn't even notice an explosion, if Apollo was talking to him.

Aleixo was the ideal image of a suitor for many people, including herself. She wanted the god for herself, but he never had eyes for anyone but the Sun God. No one seemed to be able to hold Aleixo's attention but him. Not even her powers of persuasion seem to work on him.

Her face darkened considerably as she watched as Aleixo laughed at something Apollo said. She wanted him gone. Aleixo was going to be hers. All she had to do was get Apollo out of the picture.

 _'Yes,'_ she thought, eyes following the beautiful orange-eyed god. _'He shall be mine.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! That's a wrap for today. New enemies introduced, as well as counterbalances. I felt that Aleixo would understand something like that the best, after all, balance falls under his domain.
> 
> This special bond between Aleixo and Apollo will play a bigger role in the future, just watch and see. :)
> 
> There will be an update on August 18. I thought it would be fitting seeing as it is Percy's birthday. Whether it will be chapter 14 or a special surprise chapter is still undetermined, but I am determined to get something written by then. So look forward to that.
> 
> Aleixo (uh-lex-oi) - Defender
> 
> Liakáda (le-ka-da) - Sunshine
> 
> Ali (ah-lee)


	15. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!   
> As promised a special chapter for Percy’s (and my) birthday! It’s a bit of a sad one and isn’t important to the plot, so if you skip this the story will still make sense.
> 
> This is my first attempt at a heart-wrenching scene, so hopefully, it has the desired effect
> 
> IMPORTANT: This takes place before Chapter 1 and is in no way Chapter 14. This is an interlude, and while is placed between Chapter 13 and 14, does not fit there chronologically.

** Lost Letter **

A raven-haired man walked towards the back of his closet, pushing aside some clothing. He stopped near the very back near some of the oldest in his collection, before bending down and removing a loose piece of floorboard. Inside hid a small box, only able to be seen by the man's eyes. 

Carefully he removed the box from its hiding place, careful not to damage it. Removing the lid, he revealed a small rolled up piece of parchment. It looked ancient, yet brand new. 

Slowly the man unrolled the parchment, fingers tracing over the beautifully written calligraphy. He smiled lightly, almost able to imagine the person who wrote it. His mood immediately turned sombre. He missed them dearly, but he knew he could not go back. It was too dangerous. Oh, what he would give to be able to see them all again, to be able to wish _him_ a happy birthday.

He remembered when he first received the letter. He was so very shocked that they had managed to reach him, even if he was so far away. He remembered the tears he shed when he read it for the first time. He remembered the heartbreak he felt when he realized he was the cause of their sadness. He remembered the determination that filled him, urging him to go on, to return back to them one day.

He always took the utmost care of that letter as it was the last piece he had of home. The last memory of them. Of _him_. He would take it out every so often to remind him that there were people waiting for him to return home. To return to their side. 

Today was one of those days as it was _his_ birthday. He would always remember celebrating it with everyone, and no matter how old they got, it was always the best day of their lives, where all their responsibilities were forgotten, pushed aside. He could never forget it. 

He started reading the letter.

_‘Dear Pnévma tis Elpídas,_

_Hello. It’s us. Though you might have already known that. Words cannot convey how much we have missed you. How much I have missed you. Oh, what I would give to see you smile again. Or your brightly coloured eyes and your strange choice of clothing. I wish I could say that Father has gotten better over the years, but that would be a lie. I miss the times where we would prank him, and bring his ego back down to Earth. Nothing is the same without you. Not even singing. I remember when we were younger and you told me that the best songs were the ones you wrote yourself. You said a song was like a painting, each with its own meaning that only the creator can completely interpret. The only songs I write now are about you. About how the candle shining in the darkness went out, leaving behind only a fraction of the warmth. It’s not the same, singing without you by my side. Cheering me on, and joining in when I turned my puppy eyes on you. Even if you claimed that your voice wasn’t good for singing, I still loved to hear it. Because it was something that was strictly unique to you.’_

The first paragraph ended here. The man was consumed by his memories, each sentence in the letter sparking a new one. He could vividly recall how _his_ eyes had lit up when _he_ heard music for the first time. How the light shorn brighter in a way that made him determined to never let anything put it out. There was an innocence to it, one that he never wanted _him_ to lose. 

He continued reading, noting that the next paragraph was written by someone else.

_‘My son, I hope that you are well. I know I’m not the best father in the world, in fact, I’m far from it. Your mother raised you well, into a stunning man. I wish I could have been there for you when you were younger, but your aunts and uncles raised you better than I could have. Take your upbringing as a lesson as to how not to be a father, though I’m sure you won’t need it if you ever have kids of your own. I always have known that you were going to be an extraordinary child since the moment I met you. You were kind-hearted despite being so knowledgeable, you were as curious as you were cautious. I remember the day your uncle refused to put you on the council. Many were outraged, but you just shrugged it off and went about your way. You were always the one to make the right decisions. I may not understand this decision you made to leave us, but I know that it was necessary. Just remember no matter what you do, you are my son, and I’m proud of you.’_

The last line hit him hard. No matter how old he got he would always seek his father's approval. It was the way he was raised. To see his father tell him he would always be proud of him made his eyes water. 

Like many other children of his kin, his parents rarely ever gave complements. It takes effort for them to remember they exist, let alone their accomplishments. For his father to acknowledge such a thing was a great honour, one he would remember forever.

He continued down the letter, knowing that a new person was writing. He knew who wrote this one just by the handwriting, the elegant letters could only belong to one person. 

_‘They say you never know how much you miss something until it’s gone. I've never been one to be well versed with emotions, nor do I know much about showing affection. I recall when we first met. When you managed to wander into my home, curious about the wonders of my realm. I’ll admit that you confused me, with your nonchalant attitude towards me. You accepted me in ways that my own siblings did not, you understood my hatred and bitterness towards them. I suppose that’s what drew us together. Our shared experiences and sentiment towards our world. I confess that I have missed our discussions, it’s not often you find someone you can vent to without any judgement. I can openly admit that you are my favourite of my brothers' many offspring, the one so similar yet different from Father himself. I will be awaiting your return, my nephew. Stay safe.’_

The man smiled sadly at the memories his uncle wrote about. He could remember them as clear as day, almost as if they happened just the day before. 

He had always had a soft spot for his uncle. He was like the black sheep of the family, even though most of it could be traced back to his younger brother. There was just something about him that drew him in, that caused them to form a kinship.

It was also interesting to hear that he was a similar Grandfather. Grandfather was someone who was rarely brought up, especially in the presence of his other uncle. His other uncle never liked him very much, and now he was wondering if it had anything to do with his resemblance to Grandfather. 

Looking further down the letter, he saw that there were still three paragraphs left. Taking a deep breath he continued to read.

_‘My dearest nephew, things are just not the same around here without you. The children aren’t as optimistic as they used to be, and your uncle's decisions seem to be getting worse by the year. Not even the hearth seems to burn as brightly as it used to with you here. Our home seems so empty without you running around in it, your aura spreading hope to all those around you. Some seem to believe that you will never return, however, we refuse to believe that. You are one of the strongest people I know and as long as it is in your power, you will keep your promise not only to us but to him and return safe and sound. Your grandfather may have not been able to teach you, but your mother, aunts, and uncles did a marvellous job in raising you to be the kind-hearted warrior you are today. I believe in you. Never lose hope.’_

As he read what his aunt had to say, he couldn’t help but frown at what was happening in their home in his absence. While he was there he tried to keep some semblance of peace, but it seemed as though all his hard work was unravelling in the time he was away.

The raven-haired man’s unique eyes watered at the mention of his mother. Even after so many years, his mother would always be a bit of a sore spot for him. Even if his aunt had become like a mother figure to him, he would always honour his mother's memory. No one could replace her, not even his favourite aunts. 

_‘Things are almost unbearable without you, my perfect little angel. My dear husband has had more affairs recently than in past years. Every time he does I think of you, and then remember you aren’t here anymore to confront me. I miss our talks and how no matter what happened you would always find a way to make it better. The children these days seem to be much different from those before them. They are greedy, prideful, and demanding. It seems as though they are taking after their parents more and more. It seems as though your time away has my husband regaining old habits. For the first time in a long time, my siblings and I feel our age, while my husband continues to act like a spoiled 6-year-old, throwing tantrums left and right. We hold on because of you. You are the guiding light in this cruel game we call life. We need you. They need you. He needs you. Come back to us.’_

He sighed as he read the first part. Even after so many years of her husband constantly cheating on her, she refuses to divorce him. No matter how much it hurts her emotionally, her pride always won out and she endured it. 

Finding out that his aunts and uncles felt their age alarmed him. It had been so long since that happened and it had never, to his knowledge, happened ever again. For the results to be so severe made him close his eyes in thought. Feelings of grief and sadness consumed him, but none more prominent than anger. Anger at his uncle for causing so much pain to his aunt. Anger at his various cousins for not doing anything. But above all, anger at himself for leaving them all.

He swallowed harshly, pushing down the feelings before reading the final passage.

_‘The people are losing hope, claiming that you will not return. But refuse to believe that. You promised me that you will be back, and I trust you. There are some that forgot your existence, others who simply don’t know of it. The ones who are aware think you are dead. Faded from our world. I believe them. You are the strongest person I know, and I refuse to believe that you would leave without t’_

There was a line that was completely scribbled out like the writer wanted to say something but changed their mind last minute. If he put it up to the light he could just barely read what was written. 

_‘Taking me with you.’_

Instead, it was scribbled over and the letter continued.

_‘At least saying goodbye first. I think of you every day. Sometimes I turn about to ask you a question, only to remember you are not by my side any longer. I refuse to mourn you because that would be an acknowledgement of the fact that you are dead. You aren’t dead. I refuse to believe that._

_‘I don't know how this letter would even reach you. Maybe it won't and just become one of those lost letters. Maybe by a force of a higher being, it does. If by some miracle you receive this letter, know that we are waiting for your return._

_Forever and always,_

_Ílios, okeanós, ypókosmos, estía, gámos’_

By the end of the letter, the raven-haired man had tears running down his cheeks. He often wondered if leaving was the right choice. Was his family worth the destruction of the entire timeline? Maybe even the entire universe?

He loved his family more than anything else in the world, but that didn’t mean he would allow the world to end because of him. So did he even have another choice?

He sat there for a few moments just letting the contents of the letter seep into his soul. _His_ words would always affect him the most. They had value over his mind and heart.

Eventually, he wiped his tears away, carefully rolling up the letter once more, before returning it to the box. He replaced the box in the former hiding place, coving it up once more, before walking out of the closet.

As he left the house once more he made a promise to himself. _‘I will return to them. To him. One way or another.’_

Little did he know on the other side he mirrored his vow. 

“I will bring you back to us, Aleixo Elpida. _Even if it’s the last thing I do._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Cut! That's a wrap!
> 
> This chapter was much harder to write then I anticipated. Some of their characters are just so hard to get right.
> 
> When I wrote this I wanted it to have the feel of a family writing to a soldier in a war. I wanted a soldier to fit the place of Aleixo, someone receiving a letter from their family who miss them very much. The five people writing the letter are various family members including his parental figures, and a lover or close friend. It’s the reason their names are kept so vague, with Aleixo’s name shown only at the very end.
> 
> Now I am NOT a war veteran by any means, nor do I personally know any. So I have no clue what it is actually like to have a family member go off to war. I hope my writing for this has had the desired effect, but this is my complete imagination, so take it as you will.
> 
> Aleixo Elpida (uh-lex-oi el-pee-da) - Defender of Hope
> 
> Pnévma tis Elpídas (pa-nay-ma tees el-pee-das) - Hope's Spirit
> 
> Ílios (ill-ee-ohs) - Sun
> 
> okeanós (oh-key-an-ohs) - Ocean
> 
> ypókosmos (ee-poke-ohs-mos) - Underworld
> 
> estía (es-tee-ah) - Hearth
> 
> gámos (gay-mos) - Marriage

**Author's Note:**

> And... cut! That's a wrap for this first part! The next part should be out soon so look out for it!
> 
> Aleixo Elpida (uh-lex-oi el-pee-da) - Defender of Hope


End file.
